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Greater Western Sydney AFL coach Kevin Sheedy is determined not to rush Jonathon Patton back too fast from injury.
No.1 draft pick Jonathon Patton is set to make his AFL debut in mid-June, with Greater Western Sydney coach Kevin Sheedy desperate to avoid a repeat of the injury-plagued start to Scott Gumbleton's career.
Highly-rated forward Patton has played less than a half of football in two reserves games following knee surgery several months ago.
Sheedy said Patton was being earmarked to make his debut in the round-12 clash against Richmond.
He was wary about rushing him, based on Gumbleton's experiences at Essendon.
Sheedy was still the Bombers' head coach when they selected the tall West Australian with pick No.2 in the 2006 national draft.
But he has since been limited to just 22 games in more than five years while battling a string of back, knee and hamstring injuries.
Gumbleton is again making his way back through the Bombers' VFL affiliate.
"I don't think we should push Patton into this game (on Saturday against Essendon) or the game against Geelong and then we'll have a bye," Sheedy said on Wednesday.
"The best thing from my experience is don't rush these guys too early or, otherwise, you'll end up with the Gumbleton-type thing.
"He was an early draft pick and he still hasn't had his body right five or six years later.
"You've got to be very careful here with certain players and their body maturity."