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James won't be hamstrung by injury
By Tim Morrissey
April 22, 2004
"ELEVEN hamstrings, one knee" - that's the message Swans comeback kid Heath James writes to himself on the palm of his hand before every game this year.
James even has it up on the wall of his bedroom where his Paul Kelly poster used to hang in the house he shares with teammate Jude Bolton.
And it will be there again on the palm of the determined Swans defender when he proudly runs through the banner at Telstra Stadium on Saturday night when Sydney host Melbourne.
"Eleven hamstrings, one knee" is James's mantra. Four words that describe a journey to football hell and back for James since making his Swans senior debut in 1999.
Four words which sum up the courage and determination shown by him to come back from 11 torn hamstrings and a snapped patella tendon in four years.
Four words which keep driving James to fulfil his ambition of becoming the next great Swans never-say-die fullback since Andrew Dunkley retired at the end of 2002.
"If I think I can't run any more I look at my hand and think about those rehab sessions," James said. "Those bloody rehab sessions I used to do over and over again.
"I reckon they don't even have to mark the boundary line they just follow the little groove I've worn into the SCG.
"I don't want to be back there again."
Saturday night, however, will be the last time James writes his mantra on his hand. And he will no longer talk to anyone about his past hamstring problems either, because he wants closure and believes it's time to focus on the future not the past.
His teammates have been inspired by his positive approach especially when most players would've thrown in the towel a long time ago.
So where does James draw his inspiration from to have kept it all together during the dark times?
"It sounds pretty cheesy but I just want to play footy," he said. "I've been very lucky the club has given me chance after chance when a lot of other players would not have been as lucky but I've worked pretty hard in rehab and always wanted to get out there and get amongst it."
Before the start of the season James had played a total of seven senior matches over five years.
But finally his body seems to be holding together and he has played a key position in the backline in all four Swans games this year.
After another impressive performance in the Swans' 51-point rout over the Kangaroos last round, James is in line to get the important job on Demons spearhead David Neitz on Saturday night.
On the injury front this year, James has been blessed for once. Just a fractured check bone and jaw, a split ear drum and a couple of nasty bruises.
"I like getting those sorts of injuries for a change," he said. "This is the most games I've played in a row since 1999."
Coach Paul Roos is forgiving of errors James may commit on the field.
"What we have to remember about Jamesy, and he does as well, is he might be 24 years old but in football terms he's about 19," Roos said.
"He's still learning the game and he shouldn't be too hard on himself."
When he was drafted to Sydney from Port Adelaide under the father-son rule in 1998, James was sized up as a future replacement for Dunkley at fullback before his injuries threatened to ruin everything. Now he's starting to fit the bill.
"When I first got here every time I got mentioned it was about taking over from Dunks," he said.
"Unfortunately I didn't get to because of all my injuries but at the same time I did learn a lot from him and that's where I want to play."
The Daily Telegraph
By Tim Morrissey
April 22, 2004
"ELEVEN hamstrings, one knee" - that's the message Swans comeback kid Heath James writes to himself on the palm of his hand before every game this year.
James even has it up on the wall of his bedroom where his Paul Kelly poster used to hang in the house he shares with teammate Jude Bolton.
And it will be there again on the palm of the determined Swans defender when he proudly runs through the banner at Telstra Stadium on Saturday night when Sydney host Melbourne.
"Eleven hamstrings, one knee" is James's mantra. Four words that describe a journey to football hell and back for James since making his Swans senior debut in 1999.
Four words which sum up the courage and determination shown by him to come back from 11 torn hamstrings and a snapped patella tendon in four years.
Four words which keep driving James to fulfil his ambition of becoming the next great Swans never-say-die fullback since Andrew Dunkley retired at the end of 2002.
"If I think I can't run any more I look at my hand and think about those rehab sessions," James said. "Those bloody rehab sessions I used to do over and over again.
"I reckon they don't even have to mark the boundary line they just follow the little groove I've worn into the SCG.
"I don't want to be back there again."
Saturday night, however, will be the last time James writes his mantra on his hand. And he will no longer talk to anyone about his past hamstring problems either, because he wants closure and believes it's time to focus on the future not the past.
His teammates have been inspired by his positive approach especially when most players would've thrown in the towel a long time ago.
So where does James draw his inspiration from to have kept it all together during the dark times?
"It sounds pretty cheesy but I just want to play footy," he said. "I've been very lucky the club has given me chance after chance when a lot of other players would not have been as lucky but I've worked pretty hard in rehab and always wanted to get out there and get amongst it."
Before the start of the season James had played a total of seven senior matches over five years.
But finally his body seems to be holding together and he has played a key position in the backline in all four Swans games this year.
After another impressive performance in the Swans' 51-point rout over the Kangaroos last round, James is in line to get the important job on Demons spearhead David Neitz on Saturday night.
On the injury front this year, James has been blessed for once. Just a fractured check bone and jaw, a split ear drum and a couple of nasty bruises.
"I like getting those sorts of injuries for a change," he said. "This is the most games I've played in a row since 1999."
Coach Paul Roos is forgiving of errors James may commit on the field.
"What we have to remember about Jamesy, and he does as well, is he might be 24 years old but in football terms he's about 19," Roos said.
"He's still learning the game and he shouldn't be too hard on himself."
When he was drafted to Sydney from Port Adelaide under the father-son rule in 1998, James was sized up as a future replacement for Dunkley at fullback before his injuries threatened to ruin everything. Now he's starting to fit the bill.
"When I first got here every time I got mentioned it was about taking over from Dunks," he said.
"Unfortunately I didn't get to because of all my injuries but at the same time I did learn a lot from him and that's where I want to play."
The Daily Telegraph
