Alex Johnson reinjures knee

[BillyRayCypress]

Very sad news but AJ has now done the ACL in the other knee during the Reserves trial game.

Just showed footage on Fox Footy and he just jumped up in the air for a spoil and it gave way when he came down.

[mcs]

Absolute disaster for AJ.... I believe he is off contract this year as well is he not? To me, despite the disgraceful and pathetic loss, this is by far the greatest disaster of the day.

Get well soon AJ - we are all thinking of you!

[bodgie]

Absolute shocker. I had assumed it was the same knee

[Meg]

It is in fact the same knee. He has to have yet another op. Devastating news, that's this season gone.

Johnson faces third knee reconstruction - sydneyswans.com.au

[Industrial Fan]

Horrific. Feel so sorry for the guy.

[Sandridge]

Absolute disaster for AJ.... I believe he is off contract this year as well is he not? To me, despite the disgraceful and pathetic loss, this is by far the greatest disaster of the day.

Get well soon AJ - we are all thinking of you!

Yes - it made a shocking day even worse. Good luck AJ!

[ScottH]

I can't imagine how he must be feeling.
I'm gutted enough.

[Matt80]

The medical team will have to work out wether yesterdays ACL was a freak accident, that could have happened to anyone who through themselves into the same contest, or was systematic of a knee that is struggling to hold together!

Can anyone with experience be able to provide any insights?

[Meg]

Sadly there are precedents for repeated failures from ACL ops. From AFL report on AJ:

"First injuring his knee in last year's NAB Cup campaign, Johnson's initial traditional reconstruction failed, leading him to undergo the LARS procedure in August.

But that has also failed, putting the 22-year-old in a desperately sad club of players to repeatedly suffer the dreaded injury which includes Geelong's Daniel Menzel (four times) and Fremantle's Anthony Morabito (three)."

[annew]

Sadly there are precedents for repeated failures from ACL ops. From AFL report on AJ:
"First injuring his knee in last year's NAB Cup campaign, Johnson's initial traditional reconstruction failed, leading him to undergo the LARS procedure in August.

But that has also failed, putting the 22-year-old in a desperately sad club of players to repeatedly suffer the dreaded injury which includes Geelong's Daniel Menzel (four times) and Fremantle's Anthony Morabito (three)."

I thought it was his other knee, that's what some reports say.

[Meg]

No same knee. Longmire talks about it (very glumly as you would expect) in his video interview after the match.

[Rod_]

Bugger!

AJ get fixed up, do the hard work and we will see you soon.

Hope for a speedy recovery!

Rod

[Meg]

The only positive thing to say about this nightmare for AJ is that he is only young. So if (and fingers crossed when) the next op holds he still has plenty of years of good football to look forward to.

[Meg]

Longmire today:

""He sits down in front of you and you can't help but feel for him," said Longmire following a meeting with the likeable defender on Monday.

"He worked so hard to get himself back into playing and was looking terrific on the training track.

"I know he only lasted 10 minutes, but he looked bloody good for that 10 minutes and to happen so easily and so quickly was just devastating for him.

"Outwardly he's pretty resilient and putting on a brave face.

"Inwardly I imagine he's how you would expect, devastated and disappointed and it'll take a few days for him to get over that feeling.

"But he looks pretty determined to get on with the next part of the operation and the rehab again."

[liz]

The biggest psychological issue for a player in Johnson's position (and Menzel's and Morabito's) must surely be a doubt that next time will be any different. Clearly there is some structural issue in their knees that is causing these grafts not to hold. The first time a recent graft gives up almost immediately a player might be able to put it down to just bad luck, but the second time around the doubts must enter the head.

Compare their situation to someone like Malceski, who's had to go through the rehab three times too. That must have been bad enough, but at least he got to play football in between times.