Tweet
We all think Heath James has had a hard time but check this out :
I'll post the full article here :
Shattered Fitzy: It was the loudest crack
By DOUG ROBERTSON
03may03
RYAN Fitzgerald is a giant in height and in character. Even amid personal trauma he's focused on others.
The jovial but jinxed 199cm forward is unlikely to again play football at the dizzy levels to which he has become accustomed. Yet amid the trauma of facing his third knee reconstruction, Fitzy is with his Panther mates at Noarlunga today, trying to entice a big effort against Central.
Just five days ago Fitzgerald, 26, thought he would soon pull on the Panthers jumper again but a twist of his right knee at almost walking pace at training shattered the dream.
"I cried a bit when it happened. It was the loudest crack I heard from the three of them (injuries)," the former Sydney and Adelaide forward said.
"It's so disappointing. Footy and South Adelaide are the only loves I've got and when you're told you can't play for another year or so it brings you down a lot. I'm pretty shattered."
Fitzy won't say it's over but he justifiably feels cheated. In his first league game for South in 1998 he took a dozen marks, mostly over Chad Cornes, who has become a sensation with the Power. But for the knee injuries, reconstructions on both shoulders, a hernia and several broken fingers, Fitzy might also have been an AFL powerhouse.
"The doctors think it's a bit of a freak thing," he said. "The only conclusion I can make is it's freak accidents. Probably with my physique ? my legs are quite thin ? I'm more prone to doing my knees. But when it comes down to it, it still involves a lot of bad luck, I think."
It took a few days for Fitzgerald's irrepressible humour to resurface and he will have surgery after a month overseas to gather his thoughts. He has been offered a role with Channel 10 but it's clear the big man with the infectious smile is doing it tough. The chance to be part of a South revival helped him pick up the pieces after being cut by the Crows last year.
"One of the most disappointing things is we've (South) got the team to do it and I'm not going to be a part of it," he said.
I'll post the full article here :
Shattered Fitzy: It was the loudest crack
By DOUG ROBERTSON
03may03
RYAN Fitzgerald is a giant in height and in character. Even amid personal trauma he's focused on others.
The jovial but jinxed 199cm forward is unlikely to again play football at the dizzy levels to which he has become accustomed. Yet amid the trauma of facing his third knee reconstruction, Fitzy is with his Panther mates at Noarlunga today, trying to entice a big effort against Central.
Just five days ago Fitzgerald, 26, thought he would soon pull on the Panthers jumper again but a twist of his right knee at almost walking pace at training shattered the dream.
"I cried a bit when it happened. It was the loudest crack I heard from the three of them (injuries)," the former Sydney and Adelaide forward said.
"It's so disappointing. Footy and South Adelaide are the only loves I've got and when you're told you can't play for another year or so it brings you down a lot. I'm pretty shattered."
Fitzy won't say it's over but he justifiably feels cheated. In his first league game for South in 1998 he took a dozen marks, mostly over Chad Cornes, who has become a sensation with the Power. But for the knee injuries, reconstructions on both shoulders, a hernia and several broken fingers, Fitzy might also have been an AFL powerhouse.
"The doctors think it's a bit of a freak thing," he said. "The only conclusion I can make is it's freak accidents. Probably with my physique ? my legs are quite thin ? I'm more prone to doing my knees. But when it comes down to it, it still involves a lot of bad luck, I think."
It took a few days for Fitzgerald's irrepressible humour to resurface and he will have surgery after a month overseas to gather his thoughts. He has been offered a role with Channel 10 but it's clear the big man with the infectious smile is doing it tough. The chance to be part of a South revival helped him pick up the pieces after being cut by the Crows last year.
"One of the most disappointing things is we've (South) got the team to do it and I'm not going to be a part of it," he said.
Comment