Player Watch #16 Josh Smillie - Updated TBC

[juss]

So there’s no conspiracy. Scans look as they should. Remedy has been found

Remedy to not be fit enough to join to full training.

I'll have my worries until the kid can complete blocks of training / games, still fingers crossed and nervous!

 

[prodigy1311]

sadly, i am not confident we see him in 26 either. Even if he comes back midway through the season, lack of preseason will bite him in some way. I hope the club is being transparent and not giving members the media spin!

 

[tigerfan1961]

sadly, i am not confident we see him in 26 either. Even if he comes back midway through the season, lack of preseason will bite him in some way. I hope the club is being transparent and not giving members the media spin!

Jesus, really?

 

[THE_GUN]

Read only if you are ready for the worst


Tigermike - PRE

Don't hold your breath folks, it can take a while in some cases.
Football (soccer) players can require 6+ months to regain full strength and return to competitive, high-impact play following quadriceps tendon repair surgery. While light, non-contact training may begin earlier, reaching pre-injury levels of strength and power for tasks like shooting for goal and sprinting can take up to a year.
Recovery Timeline

• 0–6 Weeks (Protection Phase): The knee is usually in a locked brace to protect the repair, with limited or no weight-bearing.
• 6–12 Weeks (Initial Strengthening): The brace is removed, and progressive, supervised strengthening begins.
• 3–6 Months (Functional Training): Intense rehabilitation focusing on restoring muscle volume and strength. Light, straight-line running often starts around 4 months.
• 6+ Months (Return to Play): Return to full-contact training and competitive matches, depending on passing functional tests for strength, agility, and power.

We don't know the details of exactly what was done for Josh, but we know there will be more caution than haste in his recovery program.

Here is a Case Study by an Australian Physio in Sydney for some perspective: https://optimisesportsphysio.com.au/quadriceps-tear-treatment/

 

[Infamy]

Read only if you are ready for the worst


Tigermike - PRE

Don't hold your breath folks, it can take a while in some cases.
Football (soccer) players can require 6+ months to regain full strength and return to competitive, high-impact play following quadriceps tendon repair surgery. While light, non-contact training may begin earlier, reaching pre-injury levels of strength and power for tasks like shooting for goal and sprinting can take up to a year.
Recovery Timeline

• 0–6 Weeks (Protection Phase): The knee is usually in a locked brace to protect the repair, with limited or no weight-bearing.
• 6–12 Weeks (Initial Strengthening): The brace is removed, and progressive, supervised strengthening begins.
• 3–6 Months (Functional Training): Intense rehabilitation focusing on restoring muscle volume and strength. Light, straight-line running often starts around 4 months.
• 6+ Months (Return to Play): Return to full-contact training and competitive matches, depending on passing functional tests for strength, agility, and power.

We don't know the details of exactly what was done for Josh, but we know there will be more caution than haste in his recovery program.

Here is a Case Study by an Australian Physio in Sydney for some perspective: https://optimisesportsphysio.com.au/quadriceps-tear-treatment/

That sounds like the worse case scenario of a full quad tear rather than a tidy up that it seems like Josh had.
Even so it would have him at the return to play phase around Round 8, so hardly the end of the world
Given he's only a couple of weeks out from full training, I really don't think the above is that relevant

 

[GhostofJimJess]

sadly, i am not confident we see him in 26 either. Even if he comes back midway through the season, lack of preseason will bite him in some way. I hope the club is being transparent and not giving members the media spin!

Thanks for that Eeyore

 

[peternorth]

Maybe his quad muscle is growing at a different rate to his femur.

 

[Meteoric Rise]

Read only if you are ready for the worst


Tigermike - PRE

Don't hold your breath folks, it can take a while in some cases.
Football (soccer) players can require 6+ months to regain full strength and return to competitive, high-impact play following quadriceps tendon repair surgery. While light, non-contact training may begin earlier, reaching pre-injury levels of strength and power for tasks like shooting for goal and sprinting can take up to a year.
Recovery Timeline

• 0–6 Weeks (Protection Phase): The knee is usually in a locked brace to protect the repair, with limited or no weight-bearing.
• 6–12 Weeks (Initial Strengthening): The brace is removed, and progressive, supervised strengthening begins.
• 3–6 Months (Functional Training): Intense rehabilitation focusing on restoring muscle volume and strength. Light, straight-line running often starts around 4 months.
• 6+ Months (Return to Play): Return to full-contact training and competitive matches, depending on passing functional tests for strength, agility, and power.

We don't know the details of exactly what was done for Josh, but we know there will be more caution than haste in his recovery program.

Here is a Case Study by an Australian Physio in Sydney for some perspective: https://optimisesportsphysio.com.au/quadriceps-tear-treatment/

Smillie is clearly way ahead of this curve. He is at the very least straight line running at near full speed after less than 3 months post op. If Smillie is joining in drills in 2-3 weeks so start of March, barring complications he should be playing VFL games at some point in April.

 

[THE_GUN]

Smillie is clearly way ahead of this curve. He is at the very least straight line running at near full speed after less than 3 months post op. If Smillie is joining in drills in 2-3 weeks so start of March, barring complications he should be playing VFL games at some point in April.

Not by much if it all goes as expected maybe by a month at best
Uts been 3 months since the surgery and another 3 weeks before he joins training and another month before playing games
so 5 months post surgery ( if all goes to plan)

 

[Dr Tigris]

Smillie is clearly way ahead of this curve. He is at the very least straight line running at near full speed after less than 3 months post op. If Smillie is joining in drills in 2-3 weeks so start of March, barring complications he should be playing VFL games at some point in April.

Maybe end April. But I reckon playing games May is more likely.

 

[tigs2010]

Smillie is clearly way ahead of this curve. He is at the very least straight line running at near full speed after less than 3 months post op. If Smillie is joining in drills in 2-3 weeks so start of March, barring complications he should be playing VFL games at some point in April.

Soccer players need the 6 months just to be safe when they hurl themselves in ridiculous ways to con a ref.

 

[beema limapep]

The fact of the matter is he is behind schedule (again) compared to the timeframes given 7 weeks ago and he has now pretty much missed the entire pre-season.

 

[Morro]

You know what might help all the people that are upset about Smillie?

Cry about it.

FFS peeps, no one human is the same, no injury is identical, no one heals the same, there is no exact science to setting time frames.

It aint that heckin'g deep.

 

[beema limapep]

You know what might help all the people that are upset about Smillie?

Cry about it.

FFS peeps, no one human is the same, no injury is identical, no one heals the same, there is no exact science to setting time frames.

It aint that heckin'g deep.

When the club keep getting return dates wrong and pushing out dates, without explaining why, I think it's OK to ask questions as to what is going on.

 

[Morro]

When the club keep getting return dates wrong and pushing out dates, without explaining why, I think it's OK to ask questions as to what is going on.

Sure, ask the club then, or post it once, maybe twice, but its every ****ing day bro.

 

[beema limapep]

Sure, ask the club then, or post it once, maybe twice, but its every ****ing day bro.

The majority of my posts have been responses to other posters who are arguing we shouldn't be asking questions. And that's over the last 24 hours.

Not sure what this 'every day' thing means.

 

[Morro]

The majority of my posts have been responses to other posters who are arguing we shouldn't be asking questions. And that's over the last 24 hours.

Not sure what this 'every day' thing means.

Its not specific to you mate, was a general comment.

 

[beema limapep]

Its not specific to you mate, was a general comment.

ok.

 

[SMILLIE]

The fact of the matter is he is behind schedule (again) compared to the timeframes given 7 weeks ago and he has now pretty much missed the entire pre-season.

He’s not behind Serpell’s timeline he gave in December 2025.

Josh Smillie - Quad

"Josh is a couple of weeks post surgery now and feeling really good. He is due to return running right in the middle of our Christmas break," Serpell said.

"So we will do some preparatory work with him before we go away and we will give him a delayed return-to-run, so he's in a good position come end of January - early February."

Then the next update was full training in 2-3 weeks which still falls within February. There is no big conspiracy. It’s great you’re asking questions mate, keep pressing, but the fact of the matter is there’s injury updates monthly that are answering your questions. He’s recovering from quad surgery.


The quote that everyone’s treating as gospel, mentioning a return to training was from Tim Livingstone in November of 2025.
Serpell has given an update twice since.

High Performance Update: December 5, 2025

Richmond's High Performance team discusses the pre-season state of the playing list.

www.richmondfc.com.au

 

[_RT_]

He’s not behind Serpell’s timeline he gave in December 2025.

Josh Smillie - Quad

"Josh is a couple of weeks post surgery now and feeling really good. He is due to return running right in the middle of our Christmas break," Serpell said.

"So we will do some preparatory work with him before we go away and we will give him a delayed return-to-run, so he's in a good position come end of January - early February."

Then the next update was full training in 2-3 weeks which still falls within February. There is no big conspiracy. It’s great you’re asking questions mate, keep pressing, but the fact of the matter is there’s injury updates monthly that are answering your questions. He’s recovering from quad surgery.


The quote that everyone’s treating as gospel, mentioning a return to training was from Tim Livingstone in November of 2025.
Serpell has given an update twice since.

High Performance Update: December 5, 2025

Richmond's High Performance team discusses the pre-season state of the playing list.

www.richmondfc.com.au

 

[tigs2010]

You know what might help all the people that are upset about Smillie?

Cry about it.

FFS peeps, no one human is the same, no injury is identical, no one heals the same, there is no exact science to setting time frames.

It aint that heckin'g deep.

Nice melt, would read again

 

[Grrr]

Soccer players need the 6 months just to be safe when they hurl themselves in ridiculous ways to con a ref.

I'd like to see you become and Olympic diver in under 6 months.

 

[THE_GUN]

You know what might help all the people that are upset about Smillie?

Cry about it.

FFS peeps, no one human is the same, no injury is identical, no one heals the same, there is no exact science to setting time frames.

It aint that heckin'g deep.

 

[Tiger_Of_Old]

FFS peeps, no one human is the same,

Disputes that.
Sloth

Groupie

 

[jreesosb]

Every dickhead post here is reportedly worth a hundred likes on Facebook so have at it morons. You know who you are