Winged Magpie To Know Today If He's Grounded For Season

The Age

Wednesday March 26, 2008

Michael Gleeson and Carley Jellett with AAP

COLLINGWOOD forward Sean Rusling probably knew when he left the ground cradling his arm on Saturday that he would need more surgery on his shoulder. Yesterday, that assumption was confirmed and today he will find out whether that means a full reconstruction, effectively wiping out the rest of the season.

Scans of the shoulder yesterday confirmed that Rusling would require surgery of some type, but club doctor Paul Blackman wanted the talented forward to consult specialist John Salmon before saying definitively what that surgery would be.

"He definitely needs surgery but until he sees the specialist tomorrow afternoon, we don't know what that means, but it is safe to say he needs surgery," Collingwood football operations director Geoff Walsh said.

Having viewed the footage of the incident, the doctors were also confident that the injury did not indicate a chronic shoulder problem but that most players having received a similar blow would have had similar damage.

The injury occurred when Rusling hit the ground after a heavy bump to the upper body by Fremantle's Antoni Grover.

"They (the doctors) were all quite satisfied that the force of the collision was something that would have caused any player to suffer a similar injury. The injury occurred when he hit the ground, not in the bump," Walsh said.

Rusling has had a horrid run with shoulder injuries, missing five games with a fractured collarbone in his debut season of 2005, then another seven games the following year.

Last year, he again injured his shoulder in the pre-season and managed to come back into the side after missing 17 games, then returning through the VFL.

? Essendon's Scott Lucas is yet to have scans to confirm the extent of his knee injury. The forward tore his posterior cruciate ligament against North Melbourne on Monday and is likely to miss three months.

Asked how the Bombers would replace the injured forward, ruckman David Hille said: "Well, you don't really."

"As I understand it, he will have some scans in the next few days and hopefully we have some good news and he can get onto his recovery and get back as soon as possible," Hille said.

Geelong, which plays the Bombers at Telstra Dome on Sunday, yesterday confirmed that defenders Josh Hunt (ankle) and Max Rooke would be available, but ruckman Brad Ottens might miss due to an ankle sprain.

"Josh will play," coach Mark Thompson said. "The doctors basically said he would be right, and with Otto, it's going to be later in the week. (It's) probably a bit early to tell if he's going to play or not at this stage.

"Rookey played 70% of the game in the reserves on the weekend and did particularly well, so he is certainly a chance to play as well."

Ottens rolled his ankle in a VFL practice match against Coburg before the start of the home-and-away season and missed the opening win over Port Adelaide. The club said the ankle would be tested later this week.

Thompson dismissed any suggestion that the Cats' 10-day break would give them an edge over the Bombers.

"Once you get in a routine of having six or seven days' recovery, once you get that rhythm, you're able to cope with that," he said.

? Hawthorn will find out the extent of Trent Croad's wrist injury today, but the club is confident he did not receive a fracture in his collision with Melbourne captain David Neitz at the MCG last Saturday. -- With AAP

© 2008 The Age

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