Daniel Menzel 'returned to footy' progress updates

[OzeSparky]

There is strict tests that you must complete before they will let you play (at least with me anyway). Balance, leap, stretch, twisting on it.
It's quite hard and if you stuff one up the surgeons physio says go build up this ect. see you in 6 weeks.

I reckon it took me 2 years to come good after it (i've had 2 reco's), and the hamstring where they took the first graft isn't the same, my second one was a allograft (I think they call it) where they implant a donor achilles tendon in there as the Acl, this was heaps better then the hamstring graft.

 

[Lana]

This video is amazing & devastating at the same time! Probably the video I've watched most on YouTube!

Don't link this, it hurts to be reminded.

 

[meto]

will that process begin now that he's on the tail end of the rehab work?
Or will it take another couple of years (or more) to build up the legs again?

This subject has now almost got a sick comical twist to it these days, I wish he'd been advised to give it away, surely duty of care must apply to the GFC in his case.

 

[Jon Douglas]

With all the delistings this season, keeping all the old guys on the senior list and all the long term injury guys like Menzel and Cowan, losing Bundy for pick 21 - it is sometimes hard to figure out what is happening at the club these days. This club was so ahead of the pack for years suddenly seems to be back in the pack.

Hope I am wrong - really wrong but the signs from where I sit do not look all that promising.

 

[El Dubya]

http://instagram.com/p/uSPfKwuKT8/

 

[meto]

You'd want him back healthy and well in a heartbeat ATS.

 

[Jimmy Yamazaki]

With all the delistings this season, keeping all the old guys on the senior list and all the long term injury guys like Menzel and Cowan, losing Bundy for pick 21 - it is sometimes hard to figure out what is happening at the club these days. This club was so ahead of the pack for years suddenly seems to be back in the pack.

Hope I am wrong - really wrong but the signs from where I sit do not look all that promising.

Agree. Last 18 months has been a bit baffling for mine. And from an outside perspective, it looks like we're going backwards.

Some of the things that made us that success, we seemed to have stopped doing.

I know a lot of canned response from other supporters are "hurr durr, the cats won 3 flags so they know what they're doing".

However, when you think about it, at lot has changed.

President has changed.
Coaching staff has changed.
The core group that won us the 3 flags is almost all gone so changed. And looking back, this was by far and away the best list in the AFL at the time, even lossing GAJ, we still had the best list.
Fitness (weapon has gone as well now as Snelling)

And that's off the top of my head. How many other clubs has been pillaged like this? Maybe Pies and look at them.

So for me, we are now judging the club with the changes in staff as above (and possibly more)

 

[Jimmy Yamazaki]

doesn't help that some of our most promising youngsters have been cruelly cut down by injury. You can be one of those supporters who love to root for the underdog and all but Vardy looked extremely promising from the onset. He was being likened to a young Riewoldt and that's not us saying this but the commentators at the time. He's virtually lost years because of his hips and now an ACL.
Menzel, well he's the obvious one.
Christensen, only head knocks & back issues will hold him back from becoming a champion at Brisbane.
Simpson meh' we may never know with him but had he at least not suffered back problems, we could have got a much better idea of what he was capable of as he'd be approaching 50+ games already.
Varcoe, in the prime of his life. Steadily improving with each passing season then suffers a foot fracture which results in complications, misses the following year, returns but has lost a significant step not just with his running but his kicking and is never the same again. He may have declined naturally but we'll never know what might have been had he gone into that 2012 pre season on the back of a terrific grand finals performance the previous year.

These issues have just magnified our re-building phase as we simply haven't got any replica's of those kind of players.

Yup, but you can't do anything about injuries Bobby, it's out of the clubs control. You have to look at the stuff you can control. like when club takes risk with injury prone players, or player selection. (The Chappy one in the QF for example) or fitness, why where we so unfit this year?

Hmac, Clark, Stanley, Caddy are all players we bought in but have had injury interrupted careers.

They can either work and it makes us look good, but if it doesn't then it's more players clogging the list and compounding the players we already have like you mentioned above. Caddy looks like it might be a winner, but Hmac one is meh..

 

[Eudey]

Yup, but you can't do anything about injuries Bobby, it's out of the clubs control. You have to look at the stuff you can control. like when club takes risk with injury prone players, or player selection. (The Chappy one in the QF for example) or fitness, why where we so unfit this year?

Hmac, Clark, Stanley, Caddy are all players we bought in but have had injury interrupted careers.

They can either work and it makes us look good, but if it doesn't then it's more players clogging the list and compounding the players we already have like you mentioned above. Caddy looks like it might be a winner, but Hmac one is meh..

The gamble on hmac was a risk worth taking as he was of AA standard before his injury. Yes it was a risk that hasn't, and probably won't, pay off but it's still one you should take. Especially when we have been in need of a good ruck ever since the big pill left.

These gambles and risks should always be based on the height that the players previous reached, skill wise. Because if they can get past their issues, the reward is great (think Brian Lake).

Everyone can be a top flight recruiter with hind sight.

I like these punts. Yes some times they fail miserably, but when they pay off, boy is that a good day!

 

[Claude Balls]

http://instagram.com/p/uSPfKwuKT8/

Menzel's number 1 fan in the cap.

 

[Partridge]

The gamble on hmac was a risk worth taking as he was of AA standard before his injury. Yes it was a risk that hasn't, and probably won't, pay off but it's still one you should take. Especially when we have been in need of a good ruck ever since the big pill left.

Doesn't mean you only chase 28-year-olds with very poor, and very recent injury records. What was the first thing that happened with McIntosh? He missed the entire 2013 season. Second thing? They delisted West. Whether he played another game or not, he was good insurance. As a result we entered the 2014 season with only two proper ruckmen - each with ongoing injury problems. What happened? One missed the latter chunk of the season, and the other was busted by the Qualifying Final.

There's no hindsight at all in saying McIntosh was a very risky call, because plenty said it before the deal was done.

 

[Jimmy Yamazaki]

The gamble on hmac was a risk worth taking as he was of AA standard before his injury. Yes it was a risk that hasn't, and probably won't, pay off but it's still one you should take. Especially when we have been in need of a good ruck ever since the big pill left.

These gambles and risks should always be based on the height that the players previous reached, skill wise. Because if they can get past their issues, the reward is great (think Brian Lake).

Everyone can be a top flight recruiter with hind sight.

I like these punts. Yes some times they fail miserably, but when they pay off, boy is that a good day!

I think a risk like Caddy is one worth punting on, his young and has upside.

Hmac was 28 and played something like 7 games in 3 years before this year. Was extremely risky to bring him in. And you could see that before he was recruited that it was a high chance of him not being a great move.

 

[Eudey]

Doesn't mean you only chase 28-year-olds with very poor, and very recent injury records. What was the first thing that happened with McIntosh? He missed the entire 2013 season. Second thing? They delisted West. Whether he played another game or not, he was good insurance. As a result we entered the 2014 season with only two proper ruckmen - each with ongoing injury problems. What happened? One missed the latter chunk of the season, and the other was busted by the Qualifying Final.

There's no hindsight at all in saying McIntosh was a very risky call, because plenty said it before the deal was done.

You say "only chase" like we have gone after other injury plagued 28yo. Hmac was the only one, wasn't he? (Sorry if I'm wrong bit can't recall any others)

I know it was a risk, as I've stated in that post a couple of times, but I believe still one worth taking. Not everyone that has injury issues has them follow them their whole career. The very reason Selwood fell in our lap was because other teams were un willing to take the gamble on his ability to shake his injury he had as a jnr.

Was also a reason why Collingwood didn't take Stevie J at the end of the 2006 season.

Like I said, yes there's risks involved, but I'm happy for the club to pick up a Mitch Clark as, if successful, the reward is great.

Clearly you are not of the same view

 

[David the Cat]

Doesn't mean you only chase 28-year-olds with very poor, and very recent injury records. What was the first thing that happened with McIntosh? He missed the entire 2013 season. Second thing? They delisted West. Whether he played another game or not, he was good insurance. As a result we entered the 2014 season with only two proper ruckmen - each with ongoing injury problems. What happened? One missed the latter chunk of the season, and the other was busted by the Qualifying Final.

.

…..except he did a knee and missed more than half the season….

 

[Gavin Excell]

For all you posters who are calling him 'chicken legs', just remember his natural body (when 18-19) was pretty thick and very powerful, so should he be able to return this pre-season with the main group and go full hack, I'd say everything will take care of itself. Like his brother, they aren't so much 'big' as 'powerful'. God I hope he can do it, he was the most exciting kitten since Joel for mine. Allen was next on that list BTW... :-(

It might take a lot longer to have the conditioning needed for the rigours of AFL football.

All the best of luck to him but if he plays one senior game I'd consider that a bonus

 

[Gavin Excell]

With all the delistings this season, keeping all the old guys on the senior list and all the long term injury guys like Menzel and Cowan, losing Bundy for pick 21 - it is sometimes hard to figure out what is happening at the club these days. This club was so ahead of the pack for years suddenly seems to be back in the pack.

Hope I am wrong - really wrong but the signs from where I sit do not look all that promising.

add the mythical Nathan Vardy to that

 

[bulletproof]

That youtube clip of Menzel is the very definition of bittersweet.

I am drawn to it, even though I am now going to be depressed all morning.

As they say though, it is the hope that gets me. I can live with the despair.....

 

[Partridge]

…..except he did a knee and missed more than half the season….

I see. And the club knew that was going to happen last November did they?

 

[Bobby_]

That youtube clip of Menzel is the very definition of bittersweet.

I am drawn to it, even though I am now going to be depressed all morning.

As they say though, it is the hope that gets me. I can live with the despair.....

what makes this whole situation even more unpleasant is he probably makes a successful comeback and starts playing AFL again. People will finally get over that initial fear of the knees going but if he happens to break down a couple of years later, the depressing aftermath of his loss will come flooding back again for all footy fans in general. As it stands, It's been so long since he last played seniors that it feels as though he retired and we (or most of us) have moved on.
I guess even if he does return and starts playing, we should be very appreciate of that time he's back and enjoy it while we can.

Inspirational to say the least.
At least to me his story thus far is.

 

[Footy Smarts]

I see. And the club knew that was going to happen last November did they?

Did they know Vardy was going to go down? According to your previous post it seems the answer is yes...

Doesn't mean you only chase 28-year-olds with very poor, and very recent injury records. What was the first thing that happened with McIntosh? He missed the entire 2013 season. Second thing? They delisted West. Whether he played another game or not, he was good insurance. As a result we entered the 2014 season with only two proper ruckmen - each with ongoing injury problems. What happened? One missed the latter chunk of the season, and the other was busted by the Qualifying Final.

 

[Partridge]

Did they know Vardy was going to go down? According to your previous post it seems the answer is yes...

Does it?

Remind me, did Vardy play the pre-season game v Collingwood in the ruck, or up forward? I seem to recall he was lingering near the goal square a fair bit. Strange behaviour for a ruckman. Unless of course, he was being groomed to play centre half forward this year.

 

[meto]

Menzel's number 1 fan in the cap.

He just looks great in the picture,...hope this year finally brings him success, such a loss!

 

[Footy Smarts]

Does it?

Remind me, did Vardy play the pre-season game v Collingwood in the ruck, or up forward? I seem to recall he was lingering near the goal square a fair bit. Strange behaviour for a ruckman. Unless of course, he was being groomed to play centre half forward this year.

Nice logic. I guess keeping West wouldn't have helped our ruck stocks since he once played a couple of practice games as a centre-half back. Of course the aim wasn't for Vardy to ruck but he would've been used there ahead of West in the case of injuries (as shown by finals last year). It's completely false to say delisting West left us with only 2 rucks since there was definitely a 3rd who would've been selected before him.

 

[Partridge]

Nice logic. I guess keeping West wouldn't have helped our ruck stocks since he once played a couple of practice games as a centre-half back. Of course the aim wasn't for Vardy to ruck but he would've been used there ahead of West in the case of injuries (as shown by finals last year). It's completely false to say delisting West left us with only 2 rucks since there was definitely a 3rd who would've been selected before him.

We don't know that. Vardy was absolutely earmarked to be the 2nd key forward behind Hawkins. Even if to provide a week off for McIntosh or Simpson here and there, West would have been worth keeping hold of. Instead, for the second season in succession, our 'rucks' got massacred in September.

To paraphrase Wilde, losing that way once could be attributed to misfortune. Losing twice is starting to look like carelessness.

 

[Footy Smarts]

We don't know that. Vardy was absolutely earmarked to be the 2nd key forward behind Hawkins. Even if to provide a week off for McIntosh or Simpson here and there, West would have been worth keeping hold of. Instead, for the second season in succession, our 'rucks' got massacred in September.

To paraphrase Wilde, losing that way once could be attributed to misfortune. Losing twice is starting to look like carelessness.

Why stop there? Why didn't we keep Playfair to cover our key forwards and Gillies to cover our key defenders?

West wasn't considered good enough to get a game when both Simpson and McIntosh were injured last year. The whole idea of insurance is that when the s**t hits the fan you turn to your insurance. If he's not going to get a game when our rucks are cut down with injury what's the point? You can argue to the cows come home whether he should've been used ahead of Vardy (or Blicavs) but it's pretty irrelevant. The MC had him behind those guys. How many back up ruckmen do you want? Simpson, McIntosh and Vardy weren't enough. It turns our West wouldn't have been available either. Where do we stop? Should we have had somebody else on the list to cover West? What if that person goes down.

There's a limited number of players on the list. Maybe you think West should've been used more often. Clearly the MC didn't agree and didn't rate him. Keeping a guy whose only role is as a 4th string ruckman with little to no improvement left would've been a massive waste of a list spot. Pretending that we left ourselves with only 2 options in the ruck is just completely dishonest.