Retired # 5: Devon Smith - Hanging up the boots - Thanks for everything Devon! - 12/8

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05 - Smith.jpg

Contract Status: Out of contract 2023
Last Game Played: Round 11, 2022 (inj)
Injury Status: Mid-season knee surgery no time frame yet - 15/6

My Boy Draft 2022: Claim here
 
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Give the cranky knee a glass of warm milk and an early bed time.

Seriously though, should he be rested against the Cats?

Either Cats or Swans which will be five day break.
 

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Clearly not having the same impact as we know he is capable of producing. Obviously underdone and playing on a bung knee. Is it not worth getting him rested until he's fit? We could be getting games and development into someone like begley until dev is right to go? Or is he right to go now and just had a quiet game?
 

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Seem to be only able to play half a game at this point. He is far from our biggest problem but we really miss his pressure around the ball.

Will giving him a month off now help him or is it a case of them hoping he can get through the season as is and then have a surgery or whatever?
:think: huh? He was 86% time on ground today. That's actually a lot, for him, for a mid, and in general.
 
:think: huh? He was 86% time on ground today. That's actually a lot, for him, for a mid, and in general.

I meant he goes missing from games. I dont feel he is having the 4 qtr impact he did last year and obviously being kept up forward for the majority of the game because he isnt 100% fit.
 
Jun 13, 2016
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I'm not a doctor but it seems to me that he needs more than a weeks rest.
Had ongoing knee problems at the Giants and knees are something you don't wanna keep grinding into dust.
Especially when you're contributing at 50% of your potential.
 

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He has no PCL in his knee, which is something that has been ongoing. But now there's a new lesion in a different part of the knee and he'll be off to see a specialist this week.

I feel like he's seen a lot of specialists and they don't seem to have shed a great deal of light on it to date...

2018 Crichton Medal winner Devon Smith is also under an injury cloud following knee discomfort against the Swans and Crow said a specialist appointment will shed more light on the issue.

“During the Sydney game, Devon had three sharp episodes in his knee in a different spot to what he’d had over the last couple of years with his knee having a PCL deficiency, which means the PCL isn’t present.

“He’s got a new lesion within the knee, so he will be off for a specialist opinion this week and we’ll be able to update further once we’ve got more direction from the specialist.”
https://www.essendonfc.com.au/news/2019-05-14/dons-set-for-forward-boost
 
"A PCL deficiency, which means the PCL isn't present"

There must be some in-joke with the ridiculousness of these reports.
I'm guessing that's the existing issue with his knee that he's had all along. I'm curious if it's been ruptured and removed at some point or if he was just born without it... Not sure if that's a thing with PCLs but there are other tendons that some people have and some don't.
 

fairbump_playon

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BAD NEWS. I worry that the long term future might not be bright for Dev. No PCL surely means other knee structures are doing more than they are capable of. I can only imagine last year might be his last full year of quality footy unfortunately. And we are certainly missing what he did last year.
 
Missing a PCL for athletes isn't unheard of. Number of NFL players don't have them and some high level skiers.

PCL surgery is incredibly invasive due to where it is located and can result in damage to other areas.

You can miss the PCL but it puts force through other areas of the knee which can cause issues. Dev would be suffering from those now. Still plenty of football left for him.


Wtf?? A PCL is bigger and stronger than an ACL, how does the two bones stay in place!

Strong quads, other muscles and ligaments
 

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