Or…damn.
In rod we trust.
Quoted PostSo did he have more surgery during the week?Yes - the other groin operated on.
Here’s what I wrote initially when I started this thread
" If surgery was needed you would have to question whether this should have been diagnosed much earlier in the time since the end of last season.
Was the bubble a realistic treatment in the circumstances or did it have an air of the experiment about it to make use of the new facility?
Some information from the club about their reasons and thinking here would be interesting as there will be further medical decisions to make in the future with bubble versus other more conventional forms of treatment.
Good luck to Heath with his recovery. "
I’m not a medico but why wouldn’t you operate on both groins at the same time rather than delaying his recovery much later with a second operation?
I think the diagnosis and treatment here hasn’t been as efficient as it might have been - perhaps more expert advice could have been sought.
Let me balance this by saying that the club generally does well with injury management but hopefully they will learn from this particular case.
I would have thought injury management is one of the worst components of the football club atm and has been so for awhile.I’d also add fitness management to that as well.
How many players over the last few years have either played with injuries that curtail their output dramatically, let alone in general.
esp last year how many guys were way off the pace of the game after a short absence of even 1 week out, be it injury or other reason.
Again i’d say it’s one of, if not the worst area.
And it’s not like we haven’t had enough injuries to get lots of practice with either…
Quoted PostSo, if he is LTI which rookie comes in? Either Stein or McKernan I guess.Or… LONG
BRING HIM IN
Aylett is injured, but might be the best alternative tagger ? Quoted Post
Quoted PostQuoted PostSo did he have more surgery during the week?Yes - the other groin operated on.
Here’s what I wrote initially when I started this thread
" If surgery was needed you would have to question whether this should have been diagnosed much earlier in the time since the end of last season.
Was the bubble a realistic treatment in the circumstances or did it have an air of the experiment about it to make use of the new facility?
Some information from the club about their reasons and thinking here would be interesting as there will be further medical decisions to make in the future with bubble versus other more conventional forms of treatment.
Good luck to Heath with his recovery. "
I’m not a medico but why wouldn’t you operate on both groins at the same time rather than delaying his recovery much later with a second operation?
I think the diagnosis and treatment here hasn’t been as efficient as it might have been - perhaps more expert advice could have been sought.
Let me balance this by saying that the club generally does well with injury management but hopefully they will learn from this particular case.
I would have thought injury management is one of the worst components of the football club atm and has been so for awhile.I’d also add fitness management to that as well.
How many players over the last few years have either played with injuries that curtail their output dramatically, let alone in general.
esp last year how many guys were way off the pace of the game after a short absence of even 1 week out, be it injury or other reason.
Again i’d say it’s one of, if not the worst area.
Essendon is very reluctant to bring “lock in” 1st 22 players back in through the VFL. Jobe came straight back in in 2014 . He was fantastic on return. Hibbo came back after a hammy and was not up to his normal level for 3 weeks. Demps came back and was not match fit for 2 weeks. Its not an insult to come back through the VFL. But there is a risk of re-injury. I suppose they have to balance it up. This year should be an improvement in this area becuase we have more depth.
I’ve missed something, are people suggesting he’s out for 4 months?
Aylett is injured, but might be the best alternative tagger ? Quoted PostYou also missed solely from last year Stanton, supposedly by people on here had a fitness issue in the second half of the year hence the drop off Goddard couldn't outsprint a snail for parts of last year Belly was cooked pretty much the whole year but was still played. I'm sure there are other examples, alas just forgetting them atm.Quoted PostQuoted PostSo did he have more surgery during the week?Yes - the other groin operated on.
Here’s what I wrote initially when I started this thread
" If surgery was needed you would have to question whether this should have been diagnosed much earlier in the time since the end of last season.
Was the bubble a realistic treatment in the circumstances or did it have an air of the experiment about it to make use of the new facility?
Some information from the club about their reasons and thinking here would be interesting as there will be further medical decisions to make in the future with bubble versus other more conventional forms of treatment.
Good luck to Heath with his recovery. "
I’m not a medico but why wouldn’t you operate on both groins at the same time rather than delaying his recovery much later with a second operation?
I think the diagnosis and treatment here hasn’t been as efficient as it might have been - perhaps more expert advice could have been sought.
Let me balance this by saying that the club generally does well with injury management but hopefully they will learn from this particular case.
I would have thought injury management is one of the worst components of the football club atm and has been so for awhile.I’d also add fitness management to that as well.
How many players over the last few years have either played with injuries that curtail their output dramatically, let alone in general.
esp last year how many guys were way off the pace of the game after a short absence of even 1 week out, be it injury or other reason.
Again i’d say it’s one of, if not the worst area.Essendon is very reluctant to bring “lock in” 1st 22 players back in through the VFL. Jobe came straight back in in 2014 . He was fantastic on return. Hibbo came back after a hammy and was not up to his normal level for 3 weeks. Demps came back and was not match fit for 2 weeks. Its not an insult to come back through the VFL. But there is a risk of re-injury. I suppose they have to balance it up. This year should be an improvement in this area becuase we have more depth.
I also don’t see how it’ll be different this year. It’s not a depth issue it’s a trust issue. They don’t trust players outside their perceived best 22 players to do the job.
DNP, I was focusing on the aspect of bringing injured players back in through the 2s
But the ones you mention were chronic issues. I recall Bomber saying they were not going to play injured players.
But they did !
I don’t think it’s black and white. Sure we played hampered players, but was there a chance of re-injury? I think each case would have to be looked at on it’s own merrits. Often players have known issues but wait until the end of the season to recover properly, or get surgery etc. Or they pass the fitness test but cop a knock early in the match and struggle to run it out.
I agree some mistakes were made, but there were still lots of ‘outs’ due to injuries and soreness, and I remember thinking Bomber was being pretty conservative, especially when we didn’t have a ruckman, and not playing Jake C in the final when he was determined to play. He also had a public crack at Daniher for putting his hand up to return and play when he wasn’t fully recovered/fit.
Then again we were under the microscope for player welfare so maybe all that talk was for optics.
As for being reluctant to play guys outside the best 22, I thought we did, but maybe only when we really had to. On that note we had a lot of players each game who had less than 50 games (often less than 20) to their name so it wasn’t like we weren’t developing guys, and it didn’t really seem like anyone was sticking their hand up in the 2’s either.
As for key players returning through the VFL, again I think each case is different and should be looked at seperately. If you aren’t worried about immediate re-injury, or required match fitness, then sure bring them straight in.
I, for one, vote darkknightpheonix as new Club Doctor.
Players are really keen to get out and play. Yes, I am sure they do try to cover up minor injuries. No way TBell could cover up his problems in 2014!
I had to laugh where Doc Reid said Buckets was “angry” that he could not get back into training, and then Buckets started shouting out in the middle of the interview.
I, for one, vote darkknightpheonix as new Club Doctor.
I’d accept cheif bullshit spotter, as opposed to doc.
also it’s not even necessarily any doc’s fault. a player can bit “fit” to go, but not fit to play.
Case in point Belly was probably technically fit to be active, train etc but in no way was he right to be playing afl level football, hell even vfl level.
If Heater misses the start of the season, it will be interesting to see who the first choice run with player will be.
There are a few candidates, but perhaps no real standouts. Aylett could get promoted and given a chance to succeed as a our first choice tagger. He is disciplined, has a good tank, and is a very good tackler. Kav might be given a chance as part of his football education, but I’m not sure he is physical enough for the role. Melk is strong enough, but probably doesn’t have the running power to keep up with the elite mids of the comp. I like Howlett as a half-forward who changes into the midfield, and he hasn’t been particularly successful when tried in the role. Another candidate is Nick O’Brien, who has a big body, is willing, and can run all day.
I think Aylett and O’Brien are the two most likely choices if we are to pick someone as a specialist run with player, and they are hard to split. I’d perhaps go O’Brien first, in part because I think this role is perhaps his only opportunity to make the grade. He has the physical tools for the job, and he strikes me as a selfless, team-oriented player who is prepared to sacrifice his own game for the good of the team.
NOB
A reply to: @Windy Dill regarding QuoteLink
If Heater misses the start of the season, it will be interesting to see who the first choice run with player will be.There are a few candidates, but perhaps no real standouts. Aylett could get promoted and given a chance to succeed as a our first choice tagger. He is disciplined, has a good tank, and is a very good tackler. Kav might be given a chance as part of his football education, but I’m not sure he is physical enough for the role. Melk is strong enough, but probably doesn’t have the running power to keep up with the elite mids of the comp. I like Howlett as a half-forward who changes into the midfield, and he hasn’t been particularly successful when tried in the role. Another candidate is Nick O’Brien, who has a big body, is willing, and can run all day.
I think Aylett and O’Brien are the two most likely choices if we are to pick someone as a specialist run with player, and they are hard to split. I’d perhaps go O’Brien first, in part because I think this role is perhaps his only opportunity to make the grade. He has the physical tools for the job, and he strikes me as a selfless, team-oriented player who is prepared to sacrifice his own game for the good of the team.
Aylett has a split hamstring and will be nowhere a football field for quite some time yet. O’Brien, Melksham and Kav are the obvious replacements.
I’d write of Kav to start with. He just doesn’t look or play strong enough for the job. The best mids would push off him around stoppages and get too much space. He could be handy for some run-with jobs outside the centre square. Melk is strong enough, but is his gut running as good as the others? Also, I’m not sure he has the concentration required for the job.
O’Brien ticks a lot of boxes in that he is a good size, is a natural runner and is a hard and physical player. I would also hazard a guess that he has the right mindset for the job, which is half the battle. I reckon this is his last, and best chance of carving out an AFL career. Ling transformed himself from a leading forward to a very good tagger. Hopefully O’Brien can do the same because he seems like a ripping bloke.
Club Website 3/2/2015
Essendon midfielder Heath Hocking is confident he is on track to be fit for the club’s season opener against Sydney on April 4 following groin surgery.
Hocking has had surgery to both groins to alleviate soreness he was suffering during pre-season training.
The veteran midfielder will return to running in the next four weeks before looking to ramp up his training in preparation for the 2015 season.
“With it still being eleven weeks to round one ideally it would still be nice to be ready for that match against the Swans,” Hocking said.
“After I start running in four weeks time it will be nice to know and to get a feel for where I am at.”
“I am a realist and I will not be returning to early, I will be happy to wait a few more weeks but that is a long way down the track.”
Hocking said he was in a good state of mind and looking forward to attacking his rehabilitation program.
“Mentally I have done everything I have been able to do so now it is just about how my body reacts and doing the best recovery that I can do,” he said.
“I feel confident that I should be right.”
Entering his tenth pre-season the tagger is confident his body is ready for the rigours of another AFL season.
“I think an accumulative affect of pre-seasons can take its toll so knowing how we want to play I think I can catch up to that pretty quickly,” Hocking said.
“From the fitness point of view I will be able to catch up on that a lot quicker than a first or second year player would.
“I am happy to work a bit harder to get fitter quicker as the season draws closer.”
Club Website 3/2/2015And we wonder why the club has such a bad record at getting players back in time…“With it still being eleven weeks to round one ideally it would still be nice to be ready for that match against the Swans,” Hocking said.