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21.11.2019 12:54
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It was so good to be a part of our win against Geelong last weekend - not just because of the impressive nature of the victory, but after missing one match through injury, it meant so much to simply be back on the field.The previous round, I was out of the team with my knee injury, sitting in the coachs box during our fantastic win against Carlton with mixed emotions.I was so proud of our young teams performance and ability to rebound from a horrible loss to Adelaide the previous weekend. But despite the incredibly positive result for our team, I felt detached from the win itself; isolated even.A large percentage of an athletes self-worth is determined by their ability to physically do their job. So, when youre sitting on the sidelines - or in my case, in the coachs box - you feel pretty worthless. Even as captain of the club, having spent 16 years at St Kilda, the loss of identity was incredible. I genuinely felt like I had played absolutely no part in the victory - its amazing how on the outer you feel.Against Adelaide, I copped a heavy knee-on-knee collision in the first minute. My day probably should have finished there but we had other injuries, were down on rotations and I could fill a position on the ground, so I played on.At end of the match, as a result of the knock my left knee - the troublesome one - really blew up and filled with fluid. The swelling in the joint made it impossible for my quad to function and I was unable to bend or straighten my leg. I was stuck in a position of real discomfort.Nick Riewoldt: My experiences with concussionPlayers will generally go to extraordinary lengths to ensure they recover from games in time to perform the following week and this particular example of mine was no exception. Please excuse the gory details and photos, but I thought you might like to know what I went through the following week as I tried to get fit for the Carlton game.On the Monday, I had an MRI scan at a medical practice to ascertain the level of damage done, then had my knee drained. After I received some local anesthetic, a large syringe extracted fluid from the joint. Previously when Ive had my knee drained, the fluid is yellowish from weeping inside the joint. But on this occasion (as you can see in the picture) it was a horrible-looking dark blue/red colour which suggested an acute type of injury. I know its not nice to look at but the feeling after that 140mls of fluid came out of the joint was one of instant relief.At that stage, I still thought I was a realistic chance of playing against Carlton.On Tuesday at the football club I was unable to partake in any of the usual physical training and instead I spent the day rotating between ice baths and the physios room to further flush the fluid out of the joint as it had begun to accumulate again.On Wednesday, our day off, I was still thinking I was a chance to play, so I cancelled my usual Wednesday business meetings so I could see our physio Andrew Wallis three times, visit my chiropractor Azim, and do a lot of recovery work in our pool at home, which is freezing cold. We do have solar heating, which my wife Cath constantly tells me we should utilise, but for selfish reasons I keep it cold to use in recovery!On Thursday, I was back at the club and still struggling a fair bit. My knee was drained again - this time 80ml of fluid was taken out. It wasnt quite as dark, which showed the bleeding within the joint had stopped, but it was still pretty sore.At that point, I really needed to complete some form of training to prove my fitness however after discussing it with the coaching and medical teams, we made a call that I would not play against the Blues. Having a bye the next week meant I could rest up for 21 days, rather than rushing back with only seven days between the two games.On game day I arrived at the ground and in my mind I had to reconcile the fact I wasnt going to play - there was a strange, illogical part of me that still half-expected to suit up despite the situation. The urge to play and disappointment at coming up short was extremely strong.Thats why the Daniel Menzel story is so inspiring. To endure the disappointment that is associated with four knee reconstructions requires spades of mental toughness. Same with Alex Johnson at the Swans, although he hasnt yet made it back to the field. You cant have anything but admiration for those guys going through those horrific long-term injuries. I was only missing one game after all!Pre-match I spent time with all the players in the rooms going through their roles and expectations and as the game drew close, I joined Richo and the rest of our coaching panel in the box. I was still dark on not being able to play but Richo encouraged me to not hold back - if you see anything, please contribute and if you think we should do something, let me know. I was grateful for this as it at least allowed me to feel as if I was involved from a leadership perspective.Injuries are a part of an athletes lot. They are part of the overall package, but footballers are obviously still humans and prone to the same phobias and anxieties as the rest of the population; I still get a bit queasy, and flinch at pain-killing injections. Also, I cant help but get extremely nervous in those final moments before Ive been wheeled into an operating theatre for surgery. All up, I think Ive been put under the knife 15 or so times - mostly on my left knee, but also my hamstring tendon, collar bone and nose.Pain is a regular companion during an AFL career. Dont get me wrong - the positives far outweigh the negatives - but injuries and niggles are always there when you play a sport as demanding and brutal as ours. I cant remember the last time I was ever pain-free going into a game - maybe when I was a kid running around the ovals of Hobart and the Gold Coast! Not many players would ever go in feeling 100 percent; everyone carries something during a season - a sore joint, tight muscle, whatever. But once youre up and going during a game or training session, you can generally do what you need to do.The doctors and medical teams at AFL clubs really are the unsung heroes of the industry.For on-field performance, the docs, physios and conditioning staff play an enormous role in making sure were fit to take the field. Their duty of care is enormous - Ive been on the receiving end of some bad incidents with injuries and concussions, and they are the people entrusted with calling your family to reassure them that everything will be OK. Theyre also great sounding boards - I would consider them friends away from the club.I must confess that our club doctors workload seems to double this time of year. Im guilty of calling for advice every time my boy James gets a runny nose. Turns out they are pretty good at fixing those too!Fake Vans 2020 . The International Olympic Committee released the official list of bid cities on Friday after the deadline for applications had passed. The candidates -- all previously announced in their own countries -- are: Almaty, Kazakhstan; Beijing; Krakow, Poland; Lviv, Ukraine; Oslo, Norway; and Stockholm. Fake Vans For Sale .com) - The red-hot Los Angeles Kings will try to extend their winning streak to a season-high seven games when they visit the Edmonton Oilers for Sundays clash at Rexall Place. https://www.vansfake.com/ . Despite dominating possession, Schalke needed an own goal from Nicolas Hoefler for the breakthrough a minute before the interval. The Freiburg midfielder misjudged Jefferson Farfans corner and bundled the ball into his own net. Fake Vans Website . LOUIS -- Theres no telling how these wacky World Series games will end. Fake Vans Cheap .5 million, one-year contract on Friday. Hawkins, who turns 41 in December, will compete with Rex Brothers for the closers role at spring training.BATON ROUGE, La. -- Austin Howard passed for three touchdowns, Lenard Tillery ran for two more and Southern beat Arkansas-Pine Bluff 49-17 on Saturday night.Howard completed 22 of 28 passes for 292 yards without an interception and Tillery had 135 yards rushing on 19 carries. It was Tillerys third consecutive 100-yard game and his fifth this season. Willie Quinn finished with six catches for 92 yards and two touchdowns for Southern (4-2, 4-0 Southwestern Athletic Conference).Tillery scored on two 6-yard runs, and John West added another, as the Jaguars built a 21-77 lead heading into the second quarter.ddddddddddddamie Gillan kicked a 25-yard field goal to pull AUPB (1-6, 1-4) within 24-10 at the break, but Howard sandwiched touchdown passes of 11 and 27 yards to Quinn around a 14-yard scoring strike to Dontrell Brown and Southern led 42-10 with 10:14 to play.Southern had 515 total yards and a season-high 33 first downs.Willie Young had eight receptions for 118 yards including a 62-yard touchdown. ' ' ' |
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