Injury Blicavs' broken bone

[LifeSpan-Void]

As we know, Mark Blicavs played the last few games of the season with what was shown to be a fractured wrist, which required surgery that forced him to miss the Carji presentation. I have it on very good authority that Blicavs reported this injury for weeks to the medical team, and that it was in fact missed on initial scans. The result of this is that Blicavs was required to have a bone graft on that wrist, which is why the surgery was more complex than a standard cast set should have been. My contention is that Geelong really messed up at the selection table by not playing West when he was if nothing else, fit. Is this likely to be a new trend at Geelong? We've seen more players down on form continuing to get games, and some clearly playing through injury to their detriment such as Hawkins and Rivers early in the year.

 

[bulletproof]

Our medical team should be under serious review the number of major blunders they have made in recent years is growing.

 

[cats_09]

Did he break his wrist when he knocked himself out against the Lions? I remember listening to krock on the way home from the game and while they reported he was concussed they were also concerned that the more serious injury may have been a broken bone in his arm/wrist due to the way he was carrying his arm on the way off the field - at the time or that week he was cleared of a break, but in retrospect it seems the radio guys had it right.

 

[Whit3y]

but we have the best medical team in the afl as stated my numerous people on this board. we surely wouldn't play players when there injured.

 

[JUBJUB]

but we have the best medical team in the afl as stated my numerous people on this board. we surely wouldn't play players when there injured.

 

[Nicko29]

As we know, Mark Blicavs played the last few games of the season with what was shown to be a fractured wrist, which required surgery that forced him to miss the Carji presentation. I have it on very good authority that Blicavs reported this injury for weeks to the medical team, and that it was in fact missed on initial scans. The result of this is that Blicavs was required to have a bone graft on that wrist, which is why the surgery was more complex than a standard cast set should have been. My contention is that Geelong really messed up at the selection table by not playing West when he was if nothing else, fit. Is this likely to be a new trend at Geelong? We've seen more players down on form continuing to get games, and some clearly playing through injury to their detriment such as Hawkins and Rivers early in the year.

Not a new trend at all. Remember the '08 GF? The 2010 PF? Hell even Steve Johnson playing in the 2011 GF (not that I'm complaining about that). The MC needs to stop praying that every injured player will do a Johnson (though the result of him playing in the GF was serious surgery, a very interrupted preseason and a slow start to 2012). Seriously need to review our MC this offseason. Just feel they need to stop being so blinded at selection time when a player is clearly injured/out of form.

 

[Biggy_Boy]

Maybe they thought his wrist would get better if he kept playing with it, just like Hawkins' back did.

 

[Johnny Cattery]

Agree Nicko. There is another pattern too: of the club saying again and again it does not risk players, and then needing a bus at the end of the season to take everyone to the surgical ward as it slowly unfolds who was playing with a broken what (Jimmy in a moon boot this time last year). It affects what fans think: time and again there are criticisms of a player who it later emerges was playing through injury.

 

[fpm84]

Don't get me started on Hawkins.

We'd all but sewn up top 4 when we were 7-0. We continued to play Hawkins in meaningless game against bottom 6 opponents when he was clearly struggling.

All season we were fed the line "we have a plan tailored to have him in peak physical condition for the finals."

The qualifying final rolls around and lo and behold, he can't even play. He battled manfully in our next two finals but seemed at 40% capability.

I'll always wonder if we would have been better off resting him for 3-5 consecutive weeks in the second half of the season.

 

[LifeSpan-Void]

Not a new trend at all. Remember the '08 GF? The 2010 PF? Hell even Steve Johnson playing in the 2011 GF (not that I'm complaining about that). The MC needs to stop praying that every injured player will do a Johnson (though the result of him playing in the GF was serious surgery, a very interrupted preseason and a slow start to 2012). Seriously need to review our MC this offseason. Just feel they need to stop being so blinded at selection time when a player is clearly injured/out of form.

I guess I'm trying to differentiate between "Hail Mary" selections such as Stokes in '08 and Johnson in '11, and the "We don't know what it is" selections such as Hawkins and Blicavs. I understand that almost all players will keep getting games despite niggles all year but some of this stuff really requires a more proactive strategy to prevent exacerbation and further requirements at the end of the season.

 

[THE CAT WRANGLER]

Medical team screwed up all year

 

[dazbroncos]

Not excusing the miss by any stretch but it happens a lot. I know everyone is going to say Hawks back was a cluster **** but they are incredibly fluid injuries - especially when it comes and goes. A break is harder to miss but it still happens.

I would still back our medicos to get it right more often than not.

Go Catters

 

[JPod_31]

This was a post Josh Cowan did on Instagram.

 

[Seeds]

As we know, Mark Blicavs played the last few games of the season with what was shown to be a fractured wrist, which required surgery that forced him to miss the Carji presentation. I have it on very good authority that Blicavs reported this injury for weeks to the medical team, and that it was in fact missed on initial scans. The result of this is that Blicavs was required to have a bone graft on that wrist, which is why the surgery was more complex than a standard cast set should have been. My contention is that Geelong really messed up at the selection table by not playing West when he was if nothing else, fit. Is this likely to be a new trend at Geelong? We've seen more players down on form continuing to get games, and some clearly playing through injury to their detriment such as Hawkins and Rivers early in the year.

This is a joke. The match selection committee cost us a premiership.

 

[Partridge]

As we know, Mark Blicavs played the last few games of the season with what was shown to be a fractured wrist, which required surgery that forced him to miss the Carji presentation. I have it on very good authority that Blicavs reported this injury for weeks to the medical team, and that it was in fact missed on initial scans. The result of this is that Blicavs was required to have a bone graft on that wrist, which is why the surgery was more complex than a standard cast set should have been. My contention is that Geelong really messed up at the selection table by not playing West when he was if nothing else, fit. Is this likely to be a new trend at Geelong? We've seen more players down on form continuing to get games, and some clearly playing through injury to their detriment such as Hawkins and Rivers early in the year.

My answer would be yes. Footy clubs always think certain players can play through the pain and get up for one more week. It hardly ever works. It did for us once - with Johnson in 2011 in the Grand Final. It failed on every other occasion. But footy clubs are also terrible at learning from mistakes, so my bet is it will continue.

Given how Geelong managed their selections this year (and last), nothing would surprise me to be honest.

 

[Partridge]

but we have the best medical team in the afl as stated my numerous people on this board. we surely wouldn't play players when there injured.

Except for Stokes in 2008, or Johnson in 2009 and 2011, or Rooke in 2010 (his final game unfortunately), or Bartel for all of last season, or Hawkins this year, and now Blicavs in the finals.

 

[Whit3y]

Except for Stokes in 2008, or Johnson in 2009 and 2011, or Rooke in 2010 (his final game unfortunately), or Bartel for all of last season, or Hawkins this year, and now Blicavs in the finals.

dont forget egan :0

 

[Partridge]

dont forget egan :0

To be fair Egan was never played in an actual game after 2007, the others all were. Mostly in finals too unfortunately.

 

[vinum coupe]

I dont get what the big deal is.
He's not a left handed ruck.

 

[kicksome]

geelong always seem to have at least one of these stories come out at seasons end.
*shakes head*

and here we had a fit west ready to play..
also the management of hawkins was pitiful pitman, couldnt rest him when we had a top 4 locked away?

 

[LifeSpan-Void]

The difference with Egan was that they acknowledged a risk in rushing him back so soon, just that everything that could have gone wrong did go wrong. Same with Johnson in 2011 - they knew what the injury was, and how long he should have had out. Johnson was just too bloody-minded to accept defeat, and he played a really good grand final. Unfortunately it also impacted him the following year. My question relates more to the match committee being unaware of, or underestimating the severity of player injuries resulting in worsening a player's condition or resulting in sub-par output. Could you imagine going into a ruck duel with a busted wrist? No wonder we didn't win any hitouts. Even a right-handed ruckman needs the left hand for stabilising and for the physical contact against the opposition ruck.

 

[Partridge]

The difference with Egan was that they acknowledged a risk in rushing him back so soon, just that everything that could have gone wrong did go wrong. Same with Johnson in 2011 - they knew what the injury was, and how long he should have had out. Johnson was just too bloody-minded to accept defeat, and he played a really good grand final. Unfortunately it also impacted him the following year. My question relates more to the match committee being unaware of, or underestimating the severity of player injuries resulting in worsening a player's condition or resulting in sub-par output. Could you imagine going into a ruck duel with a busted wrist? No wonder we didn't win any hitouts. Even a right-handed ruckman needs the left hand for stabilising and for the physical contact against the opposition ruck.

It's just another instance of really, really poor management of our players and their injuries throughout the year. The worst part is the club saved its worst management decisions for the finals. Very disappointing.

Clubs should never believe a player when he says he's right. They all lie and they always will.

 

[LifeSpan-Void]

I dont get what the big deal is.
He's not a left handed ruck.

Yes why would a footballer need two unbroken arms to play the game at the highest level?
Come on vinum, don't be fatuous for the sake of being the opposing voice.

 

[vinum coupe]

Yes why would a footballer need two unbroken arms to play the game at the highest level?
Come on vinum, don't be fatuous for the sake of being the opposing voice.

Nope. When I first heard last week that he'd been playing with a broken wrist I thought it was bloody stupid when we had West available. (And I'd wanted West in the team anyway)

But when I saw that it was his left wrist it really didn't bother me. We don't even know how bad it was do we?

 

[LifeSpan-Void]

Nope. When I first heard last week that he'd been playing with a broken wrist I thought it was bloody stupid when we had West available. (And I'd wanted West in the team anyway)

But when I saw that it was his left wrist it really didn't bother me. We don't even know how bad it was do we?

As I posted in the OP, playing for the month with the injury required him to have a bone graft rather than a standard cast set so, pretty bad.