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Nathan Burke's ready to go
04 January 2003 Herald Sun
By BRUCE MATTHEWS
BEING forced to sit and watch is the bane of any footballer, especially such a fierce competitor as Nathan Burke.
So you can imagine the frustration when knee injuries restricted the courageous Saint to 14 games in the past two seasons.
Typically, Burke has turned the inactivity into a positive by honing his instincts for the game and its intricacies from the coach's box.
Now he's almost ready to put theory into practice with an increased workload when St Kilda resumes full training this week.
Fully recovered from a left knee reconstruction, the 305-game veteran started running four weeks before Christmas and is on track to resume match practice at the Saints' Tasmania training camp next month.
"I'll be pretty close to full training as soon as we get back," Burke said. "I'll be able to do all the running and football work. The only thing I may not partake in is the contesting, match practice stuff, just yet.
"If I rehab correctly, I shouldn't need any type of brace at all."
Burke, 32 next month, spent most of last season beside coach Grant Thomas as a "de facto assistant" at training and on match days after severely injuring his knee against Port Adelaide at Telstra Dome in Round 3.
"I haven't missed a lot of footy over the years," he said. "I've always watched it on telly, but to sit back at coaches' box level and try to have an influence on the game and think ahead of the game rather than just sit and spectate puts a whole new perspective on it."
So what was the lasting impression from plotting behind glass instead of in the heavy traffic on the field?
"Probably just the little things in football," Burke said. "By watching the games, you can see how if a player hadn't just got his hand in at the right time and deflected the ball, it would have gone bang, bang down the field.
"As a player you know you have to do those sorts of things, but you can't see the overall picture of what might have happened if you hadn't got there, how you can change the whole complexion of the game with those little things."
Burke has already discussed the 2003 options with Thomas in a bid to maximise his experience and leadership.
"His theory is that form determines retirement, not age," Burke said. "If I can still hold my spot in the team and be as good a contributor, we'll keep going.
"He's pretty keen to throw me around a fair bit. Last year I started on the forward line. He sees a role there for me and there will be times when I might need to be thrown in the middle for a quarter or a half, also on the backline given the right match-up as well."
Burke will dispense with his familiar protective helmet, for the time being, anyway.
"I didn't wear it for the three games last year," he said. "It's there in the bag. But if I get a knock where I get blurred vision, well, I'll have to put it on."
04 January 2003 Herald Sun
By BRUCE MATTHEWS
BEING forced to sit and watch is the bane of any footballer, especially such a fierce competitor as Nathan Burke.
So you can imagine the frustration when knee injuries restricted the courageous Saint to 14 games in the past two seasons.
Typically, Burke has turned the inactivity into a positive by honing his instincts for the game and its intricacies from the coach's box.
Now he's almost ready to put theory into practice with an increased workload when St Kilda resumes full training this week.
Fully recovered from a left knee reconstruction, the 305-game veteran started running four weeks before Christmas and is on track to resume match practice at the Saints' Tasmania training camp next month.
"I'll be pretty close to full training as soon as we get back," Burke said. "I'll be able to do all the running and football work. The only thing I may not partake in is the contesting, match practice stuff, just yet.
"If I rehab correctly, I shouldn't need any type of brace at all."
Burke, 32 next month, spent most of last season beside coach Grant Thomas as a "de facto assistant" at training and on match days after severely injuring his knee against Port Adelaide at Telstra Dome in Round 3.
"I haven't missed a lot of footy over the years," he said. "I've always watched it on telly, but to sit back at coaches' box level and try to have an influence on the game and think ahead of the game rather than just sit and spectate puts a whole new perspective on it."
So what was the lasting impression from plotting behind glass instead of in the heavy traffic on the field?
"Probably just the little things in football," Burke said. "By watching the games, you can see how if a player hadn't just got his hand in at the right time and deflected the ball, it would have gone bang, bang down the field.
"As a player you know you have to do those sorts of things, but you can't see the overall picture of what might have happened if you hadn't got there, how you can change the whole complexion of the game with those little things."
Burke has already discussed the 2003 options with Thomas in a bid to maximise his experience and leadership.
"His theory is that form determines retirement, not age," Burke said. "If I can still hold my spot in the team and be as good a contributor, we'll keep going.
"He's pretty keen to throw me around a fair bit. Last year I started on the forward line. He sees a role there for me and there will be times when I might need to be thrown in the middle for a quarter or a half, also on the backline given the right match-up as well."
Burke will dispense with his familiar protective helmet, for the time being, anyway.
"I didn't wear it for the three games last year," he said. "It's there in the bag. But if I get a knock where I get blurred vision, well, I'll have to put it on."
