View Full Version : Josh Francou's injury
Doggiesrule1020
5 Apr 2003, 21:03
Just listening to the game aparently Josh Francous injured his knee and will be out for the rest of the year.Hate to see any player have any sort of injury expecially season ending ones hope he comes back even better next year.
Ford Fairlane
5 Apr 2003, 23:08
Cheers for the good wishes. It is a harsh blow for Josh and the club. I guess from the club point of view it was good to see Nick Stevens and Roger James especially really step up to the plate in Josh's absence. Good luck with the recovery Zappa.
Its a shame. he's Port's engine room, along with Matty and Nicky.
it will just mean that someone else will have to step up to the plate.
Im absolutely shattered. I havent seen any of the game yet...as i had a mates 21st to go to tonight...but im deadset shattered.
With him gone and now Tredders out for a few weeks as well...i think its gonna be a mircale for us to get anywhere near top 4 this year, and we will be lucky to see finals action. Thats just my opinion...but ive lost all confidence in our season now.
dreamkillers
6 Apr 2003, 03:36
Originally posted by Macca19
Im absolutely shattered. I havent seen any of the game yet...as i had a mates 21st to go to tonight...but im deadset shattered.
With him gone and now Tredders out for a few weeks as well...i think its gonna be a mircale for us to get anywhere near top 4 this year, and we will be lucky to see finals action. Thats just my opinion...but ive lost all confidence in our season now.
Watch the game and I'm sure your confidence will not be lost.........yes we lost but it was a very honourable loss against the best side in the comp..........
I saw enough to be confident about the rest of the season and as much as Francou will be a huge loss it just means someone else gets the chance to step up............it's amazing what can happen when someone get's the chance to really prove themselves and we have plenty of players that can do that.........
Keep the faith..we will come good.
dreamkillers
6 Apr 2003, 03:48
"Finally, we concede that there can be honour in defeat, but to each of us, honourable defeat of our Club and guernsey can come only after human endeavour on the playing field is completely exhausted."
As jars mentioned in another thread tonight our club really did live up to the creed................a very proud effort by the boys in a game where if we didn't live up to it we would have been flogged.
PowerGirl36
6 Apr 2003, 11:54
I can't get over it...i was told at half time that he was out for the year and i just started crying, which was the only time apart from when i thought primus did the same thing in 01...it is so tragic :(. i hope he makes a full recovery and keeps on the positive side.
we played well last night, but still, this does put some doubts through your head doesn't it...but we have to remember we played WC away (tough ask) and brisbane anywhere is just as tough. with hawthorn at home and carlton @ optus you would think we could even it up.
I'm certainly more confident of a premiership now than I was at this time last year. Not so much of a minor premiership.
If Zappa's injury had been the only one last night, we would have been talking about another of the club's greatest wins. We still owe Hawthorn for Finals Debacle 2001.
Bad luck to Josh Francou & you guys were a bit stiff not to come away with the points,
Three quarters without two of the best players in the league will usually do it for any team. But we nearly won last night. Although we're probably going to still be in the bottom 4 after this week, I'd say that on yesterday's showing were closer to a premiership than we were last year. And if Wilson is back in the next 2 weeks and Kingsley and Schofield can join the midfield we will be close to putting our best field on the park.
Paralowiepower
6 Apr 2003, 13:21
I too am shattered as is everyone. I would of rather of lost by 10 goals and kept Francou than of what happened last night.
OK we have had two very tough games, but the next two weeks are games we are expected to win. This might give us a better indication on how we will go this year.
I dont want to see positives next week, I want to see us win.
roostersgal4eva
6 Apr 2003, 14:47
i dont normally come on the power board but i was at last nights game (going fro brizzie) & i was shattered to hear that josh has to miss the year out - i saw the injury on the big screen & i had a sinking feeling it wasnt good :(
Good luck to Josh - he desereves better than this :( :mad:
Originally posted by Paralowiepower
I would of rather of lost by 10 goals and kept Francou than of what happened last night.
yeah i agree, hopefully Wilson can come back and take a bit of his spot.... no one will match Francou... also hope tredders comes back ... our forward line is a bit sloppy without him. Chad needs to lead the forward line, maybe warren can tell him he can be the boss? haha
mistressemma
6 Apr 2003, 17:36
i'm proud of the way we played... loss or not. it was a good game and deserves to be praised, not discriminated..
josh's injury will send shock waves through our squad.. but it's not the end. last night showed that we can still function without him and tredders. there's no need to throw in the towel yet.
lets hope we get a replay of last season.. with a new ending -- a grand final apperence. win, lose or draw that -- i don't care. i just want to see our boys get there -- we deserve it.
don't give up on our team yet. we have much more to give -- just wait and see.
Sorry to hear about Francou's injury. Gut wrenching stuff.
He is a gun.
Originally posted by Porthos
I'm certainly more confident of a premiership now than I was at this time last year. Not so much of a minor premiership.
I too have been more confident in a premiership in the last couple of weeks than I was last year. Once we get the side sorted out, there will not be the fade outs that we had last year.
And now, not having Francou in the team will put pressure on others that rely on him more than they should, including Stevens.
In a way it could be the injury that will cause a couple of our players to go up that extra notch. Time will tell.
dreamkillers
9 Apr 2003, 20:39
Positive Francou looks to 2004 (http://portadelaidefc.com.au/default.asp?pg=news&spg=display&articleid=83563)
Alan Shiell portadelaidefc.com.au Mon 7 April, 2003
Port Adelaide midfielder Josh Francou will have his left knee reconstructed on Tuesday week (April 15) and will not try to resume his AFL career until the start of next season.
“I’ve looked at the positives and at least it’s round two and I’ve got the rest of the year to get over it,” a buoyant Francou said after limping into Alberton Oval on Monday.
“Hopefully, come November, I’ll probably be more advanced with my fitness, compared with the rest of the guys.
“So from that point of view, I’ve looked at it positively. But, having said that, I’ve done all the hard work (this) last pre-season and not being able to use it is pretty disappointing.”
Francou, 28, has enjoyed a remarkably injury-free AFL career, playing 133 of Port’s 140 matches since the club joined the AFL competition in 1997. A badly corked thigh, a minor ankle injury and suspension put him out of the other seven matches.
“I’ve been pretty lucky … seven years in the comp where the average amount is only three years, so I look at it that way,” he said.
“Chris Grant went down with one (a knee injury) last week and you probably dismiss it a bit because it doesn’t happen to someone on your side. You probably take it for granted a bit but when it actually happens to you, the reality hits home that the season’s over. But it’s just one of those things – you’ve just got to get on with it.”
Francou damaged the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee when tackled firmly, but fairly, from behind by Brisbane Lions captain Michael Voss early in the second quarter at AAMI Stadium last Saturday night.
“It did feel a bit funny when it twisted and clicked a little bit, but obviously you never think the worst, but it turned out it was,” Francou said.
“Initially there was a bit of pain but after that the pain went away. That’s why I found it pretty hard to come to terms with. I actually said to Barnesy (club doctor Peter Barnes): ‘I’ll run around the boundary line and warm it up a bit to see if I can get it going.’ But he said it was no good.”
Francou, an All-Australian last year and runner-up to Brisbane’s Simon Black for the Brownlow Medal, said he had appreciated the support of team-mates, including Michael Wilson, who has made a successful recovery from two knee reconstructions – and made his comeback in a half for Port Adelaide Magpies’ reserves last Saturday.
“Michael came around yesterday and basically said there’s no point busting your guts to get back and doing more than anything required to get yourself right for the following year,” Francou said.
“If you try to get back for round 21 or 22 and you do it again, as Michael found out, it puts you another 12 months behind.
“I won’t be doing anything stupid with it. I think I’m at that age where if you do another one, you’re looking at the knives in your back.
“That’s another thing (the support) I suppose you take for granted if you haven’t done anything like this. The guys ring me and all that. People say you probably get sick of it but you don’t. It’s great to have their support because I’m sure three or four weeks down the track people will forget about this and there’s probably a long, lonely recovery, I think, and the support of the guys is going to be vital.”
Asked if he would have a role at the club this season, Francou said: “Alastair Clarkson (an assistant coach) said, maybe tongue in cheek, about getting me in the coaching box, but I don’t know if I want to do that. Heaven knows what goes on up there.
“But if I can help out in any way, obviously I will, but I’ll just wait and see.”
Send Josh Francou and email (email@PortAdelaideFC.com.au?subject=Att Josh Francou)