Christian Petracca's toe injury (in full training)

[Good Times Grimes 2,396]

48 minutes ago, Bombay Airconditioning said:

For all the people saying players have the right to pursue interests outside of football that's fine, but in this particular case it's "the timing of it". 

Would of been nice is he waited to get through the pre season and maybe even have a few games under his belt. 

The club has invested heavily in him and is rightly pi$$ed off.

Are you saying that you'd rather him injure himself in the middle of the season than now? He's still a chance to play round one, whether it be at Casey or the MFC, and he'll still be able to keep his fitness up and his knee rehab up through non weight-baring activities. I'd much rather he had this injury now than in June.

[Jaded No More 67,643]

I think the angst here is pretty justified, because he is coming off one of the most serious injuries a footballer can have, and should be protecting his body.

Yes he just broke a toe, but what if all the change of directions caused him to do his knee again? What if his mate stepped on his foot and caused a navicular fracture?

Of course players should be allowed to participate in activities they enjoy outside of footy, and of course you can injure yourself doing everyday things that cannot be avoided. However as a professional athlete who is coming off a serious injury, he has to learn to risk manage.
I doubt he broke his toe just casually shooting hoops. He obviously had a fairly aggressive game with mates, or played without proper footwear. Both are unacceptable for someone who is trying to get back on the field after a whole year off.

Would the reaction be the same if say Garland broke his toe playing basketball? Probably not.
Would we be furious if Jones went surfing after his neck operation and hurt his neck again? Yes. What if Hogan injured his back playing cricket with mates? The place would go into meltdown. 
These are highly paid athletes and their bodies are their tools. Them not being fit impacts the whole team.
It's just as disappointing as players who come back from their break unfit, or overweight, or having not followed their fitness programs. The net result is the same, can't train, can't meet your fitness goals, can't play. 

I don't blame Roos or the supporters for being [censored]. It's not good enough.  

[Bombay Airconditioning 6,215]

Considering where our club is coming from I think the pre season games are very important for us.  We've lost senior players in Cross and Howe, we've got senior players who are in the last year of their contracts and are struggling for form, we've got mature age players from other clubs who need time to gel, and we've got first and second year players with varying amounts of game time from as much as 20 games to as little as 0 games. 

All games are important for our club. 

[Bitter but optimistic 22,065]

1 hour ago, Moonshadow said:

With the same degree of difficulty that you do with 6 toes on each foot.

And it's even worse when the fungal infection is playing up.

[Bombay Airconditioning 6,215]

6 minutes ago, Good Times Grimes said:

Are you saying that you'd rather him injure himself in the middle of the season than now? He's still a chance to play round one, whether it be at Casey or the MFC, and he'll still be able to keep his fitness up and his knee rehab up through non weight-baring activities. I'd much rather he had this injury now than in June.

Football related injuries whether they be training or gameday related you just have to cop as a club. 

I think players have the right to pursue interests outside of footy and I think it's healthy, I just think he shouldn't  of been playing basketball until he has gotten through the pre season unscathed and got a few games under his belt. I get that it's great he has confidence in his knee (something I still struggle with mine at times) but he's being paid to play footy so I don't think it's unrealistic to ask him to put a couple of things on the backburner until he has ticked a few more boxes with regards to his rehab, again being a complete pre season and having played some games. 

[TGR 1,367]

Just thankful it aint the knee.

 

Little toe is nothing.  Should be jogging next week with altered insole.

 

 

[monoccular 17,320]

3 hours ago, Curry & Beer said:

Are you serious? Jones has played 201 out of a possible 206 games since he debuted. Nobody is concerned with his ability to get on the Park. Petracca has missed all 22 of his career so far. One player should be having a seriously cotton-wool approach to his off-season and the other has earnt the right to be more liberal.

C&B - I think you are missing my point.  Accidents can happen to anyone in daily life, and in casual recreation.  One can 'stub a toe' that turns out to be a small fracture.  I heard that Angus played golf at the weekend - had he been hit by a stray ball, pulled a muscle or been bitten by a snake would we stop all (especially younger) players from golf?  And I don't think that having a great injury record or a poor one should make a difference as to what one does for recreation provided that it is not a recreation that carries high risk or aggravating a prior injury.  Cotton wool does not prevent injury.

Edited January 6, 2016 by monoccular

[Sir Why You Little 36,630]

Bit of a bugger really. But it could have been worse. 

A broken toe is not as bad as a 2nd ACL

i hope this is not an ominous sign for the number 5. 

A number that has jinxed us many times...

[daisycutter 29,336]

13 minutes ago, TGR said:

Just thankful it aint the knee.

 

Little toe is nothing.  Should be jogging next week with altered insole.

 

 

but it's not the toe. it's reported as the metatarsal

[Coup Cooper 610]

I'm still backing this kid in to play the last nab cup game and round 1.. This kid has something special about him!

[iv'a worn smith 1,979]

A mate of mine tells me Frost's toe problem has recurred.  Anybody else heard anything?

[Melbman2 226]

17 hours ago, Arrow said:

Are you serious?! Can't believe how many people have the same opinion as you on this. He's an athlete playing sport in his off-time- what do you expect he does?!?!

"Sorry sir, you're on 70k a year and a bunch of middle age Melbourne supporters rely on you being good to keep their life sane so no sport or potential risk of injury other than AFL all year round." 

I get everyone is upset that he's missing pre-season, as am I, but surely we can recognise that part of playing good football is not just a good football club but it's happiness outside of football as well. I only hope he was shooting hoops with Brayshaw, Hoges and Viney as they enjoyed a cold beverage building a friendship. 

 

 

Back in the early 90s my brother was at trade school with a kid who had been drafted.

At lunch time during kick to kick among the apprentices this guy wouldn't join in despite wanting to as he was forbidden by the club to partake of such things.

A bit different from CP playing a game in his back yard yes, but similar too in some ways in terms of club expectations of non sanctioned "sporting" activities.

[Cards13 9,117]

1 hour ago, TGR said:

Just thankful it aint the knee.

 

Little toe is nothing.  Should be jogging next week with altered insole.

 

 

it's not a toe...

[Red and Bluebeard 2,075]

17 hours ago, praha said:

I'm not [censored] about the injury. I'm [censored] about how he did it.

 

In the US, most athletes aren't allowed to engage in physical activity outside of that approved by the team. When they do, they need a team approved trainer with them.

Michael Jordan had the famous "For The Love Of The Game" clause in his contract (that's where the saying comes from) that permitted him to play basketball whenever he wanted under any circumstance.

 

I find it strange that AFL clubs don't already have a "don't mess around and play backyard sport" as part of the contract. Simply telling a 20-year-old that's bouncing off the walls with energy not to play backyard sports over Christmas isn't enough.

 

No doubt that if any club put this in the contract, the AFLPA would breathe fire down their necks.

Interesting. I didn't know that about Jordan's contract. I do recall the same Jordan  being very [censored] off with Luc Longley, who did a shoulder IIRC while surfing at home in Perth during a break (presumably between seasons). Lucky for Jordan I guess that he didn't do an ankle during a game of street basketball  ... 

As far as I can see, it is bad luck for all concerned. Roosy is probably [censored] off because, like all of us, he was hoping for all to go right for the kid. For me, that will make it all the sweeter when we hear that "... Trengove takes a bounce, dodges one, two then passes to Petracca, who plays on and kicks a goal from outside 50!!"

 

[DubDee 24,381]

who does he think he is? Nic Nat?

 

[M_9 1,983]

I mentioned Petracca's injury to my mate whilst playing golf this morning. His son did his fifth metatarsal. His son had an op. and returned early, re injuring his foot. He then needed a bone graft of sorts (bone taken from hip and made into a paste). He finally returned late last season after missing nearly two seasons.

I think if Petracca misses only 6 weeks, that would be a good outcome.

[Mad_Melbourne 872]

5 minutes ago, M_9 said:

I mentioned Petracca's injury to my mate whilst playing golf this morning. His son did his fifth metatarsal. His son had an op. and returned early, re injuring his foot. He then needed a bone graft of sorts (bone taken from hip and made into a paste). He finally returned late last season after missing nearly two seasons.

I think if Petracca misses only 6 weeks, that would be a good outcome.

Injuries compared to those who are not in an elite AFL system are pretty ridiculous.
AFL players are able to put 24 hours into rehabilitation, injuries such as an ACL is 10-12 months for AFL players and can be up to 2 years in non professional athletes. Osteitis Pubis is another which can be handled in elite conditions much better than by Joe Blow down the street.

They will have the very best treatment and he will be given the very best rehabilitation program, which he will follow down to the very end. Staff are paid to monitor his recovery and ensure he gets to 100% as efficiently but also without reoccurence.

[M_9 1,983]

2 minutes ago, Mad_Melbourne said:

Injuries compared to those who are not in an elite AFL system are pretty ridiculous.
AFL players are able to put 24 hours into rehabilitation, injuries such as an ACL is 10-12 months for AFL players and can be up to 2 years in non professional athletes. Osteitis Pubis is another which can be handled in elite conditions much better than by Joe Blow down the street.

They will have the very best treatment and he will be given the very best rehabilitation program, which he will follow down to the very end. Staff are paid to monitor his recovery and ensure he gets to 100% as efficiently but also without reoccurence.

Well, if it's a Jones Fracture then even treatment 24/7 is not going to speed up the healing:

"Jones fractures occur in a small area of the fifth metatarsal that receives less blood and is therefore more prone to difficulties in healing. A Jones fracture can be either a stress fracture (a tiny hairline break  ..."

[sue 9,006]

The MFC website only mentions vaguely a toe.  What is the source of the metatarsal being the bone?  I've looked through all the posts and unless it was misspelt I cannot see any attribution, just assertions by one or two people which were then repeated by others.  Source please?

[Mad_Melbourne 872]

3 minutes ago, M_9 said:

Well, if it's a Jones Fracture then even treatment 24/7 is not going to speed up the healing:

"Jones fractures occur in a small area of the fifth metatarsal that receives less blood and is therefore more prone to difficulties in healing. A Jones fracture can be either a stress fracture (a tiny hairline break  ..."

are you the kinda bloke that looks up your symptoms on google and concludes that you are suffering from some form of necrotizing fasciitis

[H_T 3,032]

22 minutes ago, Mad_Melbourne said:

They will have the very best treatment and he will be given the very best rehabilitation program, which he will follow down to the very end. 

Although, it's up to him. He also had the very best treatment and rehab program for his knee - but he didn't quite follow down to the very end on that, did he?

There's no guarantee's with this kid. 

[Mad_Melbourne 872]

Just now, H_T said:

Although, it's up to him. He also had the very best treatment and rehab program for his knee - but he didn't quite follow down to the very end on that, did he?

There's no guarantee's with this kid. 

See, i think that he has done it all and his rehab was all good. 100% he made a mistake, most likely in not wearing shoes, but i doubt that he would have been prevented from a shoot around as from reports his knee is basically 100%.

But again, who actually knows what happened, although he didnt even know his toe was broken, trained on monday and then pulled up with the soreness later which indicates it didnt give him too much grief initially.

[M_9 1,983]

20 minutes ago, Mad_Melbourne said:

are you the kinda bloke that looks up your symptoms on google and concludes that you are suffering from some form of necrotizing fasciitis

You're right on the money there. Last year I was convinced I had plantar fasciitis after consulting Doctor Google only to be told by my GP to get out of thongs and into some decent shoes with gel support. Problem solved.

However, with the MFC website saying "scans confirming a small crack to the fifth toe of his right foot." and having played basketball at the top level for more than 20 years, I'd bet London to a brick that the hairline fracture is in his metartarsal. About the only way you can fracture your small toe (assuming you're wearing shoes) is for something like a car to run over it. A hairline fracture of your metartarsal happens easily - just roll your ankle.

[Grapeviney 9,500]

6 hours ago, sue said:

We don't know the facts (as usual) so until it is clear that he was doing something stupid I can't see any justification for blaming him.  Playing a  basketball game cannot be considered stupid in itself if played sensibly and bearing in mind his general situation. However, the fact that Roos is so publicly [censored] off may indicate he was doing something stupid.

As you say, Roosy's reaction is telling, as is Petracca's own admission (on Twitter) that he had 'made a mistake'. 

Those saying you can injure yourself getting out of bed in the morning are missing the point - he was evidently doing something he shouldn't have been doing. 

Roos made some interesting comments about Jack Viney the other day, that he was now the team's 'most coachable' and 'most trusted' player after becoming a better listener. Prior to that, Jack had been so single-minded and determined to improve, and improve quickly, that he wasn't getting the most out of the coaches. As far as flaws go, being too keen to get ahead is a pretty good one to have. 

Same goes for Christian. Yes it's frustrating, but I'd rather our boys injured themselves through youthful exuberance than, say, go drink-driving on the eve of the draft and then refuse to do a breath test. 

These guys are young, ultra-competitive and they think they're indestructible. 

Just as Jesse had to learn that he can't skate and surf in the morning and then train in the afternoon, and Viney had to learn that he doesn't always know best, Petracca will learn what he needs to do (and what he needs to avoid) to keep his body right. It's a shame for him, and for us, that he has to learn the hard way on this one. 

[chook fowler 19,251]

4 hours ago, Bitter but optimistic said:

And it's even worse when the fungal infection is playing up.

I find the worst fungal infections occur between the big toes