Injury Blicavs' broken bone

[mac_cat]

And to be fair, it wouldn't have been the Geelong medical staff looking at the X-rays, that's what radiologists specialise in.

I've had two broken bones in my foot that weren't picked up initially on X-ray. In one case I was called back the next day by the hospital after the radiologist reviewed the image, and in the other case it needed a bone scan (using radioactive technetium) to detect it, and that only happened when I still had pain a month after the initial problem that wasn't improving. So depending on when Blicavs actually did fracture the bone, at the time of playing in the finals the best medical advice could have suggested that there was no break.

 

[MC Extra Dollop]

If nothing else, I think most of us can agree that the company line that 'we don't risk injured players' is dubious at best and the fanbois in the media who still think our player management is second to none have to be taken with a grain of salt.

2011 was the year where it seemed like we managed our players the best. No player played every game, a crucial player like Joel Corey twinged a hammy on the eve of finals and wasn't rushed back in. The only serious decision that I can remember that seemed to go against the company line was Johnson in the grand final (reading about that after the fact and considering Johnson's performance when he clearly wasn't fit in 2009, you've got to admire his cojones in giving himself the all clear again).

 

[Partridge]

If nothing else, I think most of us can agree that the company line that 'we don't risk injured players' is dubious at best and the fanbois in the media who still think our player management is second to none have to be taken with a grain of salt.

2011 was the year where it seemed like we managed our players the best. No player played every game, a crucial player like Joel Corey twinged a hammy on the eve of finals and wasn't rushed back in. The only serious decision that I can remember that seemed to go against the company line was Johnson in the grand final (reading about that after the fact and considering Johnson's performance when he clearly wasn't fit in 2009, you've got to admire his cojones in giving himself the all clear again).

You do, but it also reinforces that the last person you would ask about a player's fitness before an important game, especially a Grand Final, is the player himself. You are extremely unlikely to get an honest answer.

 

[MC Extra Dollop]

You do, but it also reinforces that the last person you would ask about a player's fitness before an important game, especially a Grand Final, is the player himself. You are extremely unlikely to get an honest answer.

Absolutely. It's Russian roulette, only if you had four or five loaded chambers. People point to examples like Stokes for us in 2009 and Beams for the Pies in 2011 (along with a few of the older Pies in 2010 - Prestigiacomo, I remember, was one) as examples of players who have ruled themselves out. But I think you could argue that none of those players would have played in their respective grand finals even if they had been fit. When was the last time a cast-iron best 22 player ruled himself out of a grand final with a touch-and-go injury (say they'd pulled a hammy in the QF)? I can't remember one.

 

[Partridge]

Absolutely. It's Russian roulette, only if you had four or five loaded chambers. People point to examples like Stokes for us in 2009 and Beams for the Pies in 2011 (along with a few of the older Pies in 2010 - Prestigiacomo, I remember, was one) as examples of players who have ruled themselves out. But I think you could argue that none of those players would have played in their respective grand finals even if they had been fit. When was the last time a cast-iron best 22 player ruled himself out of a grand final with a touch-and-go injury (say they'd pulled a hammy in the QF)? I can't remember one.

Precisely. And the things that continues to annoy me is Stokes is always mentioned for being so brave and selfless and whatever in 2009 - maybe (I doubt it). 12 months earlier he was equally if not far more as gutless and selfish. Because his decision went a long, long way to costing us a premiership. If that hadn't occurred there's no way he would have pulled out in 2009. He would have been greedy as most players are and tried to get another medal for himself. It's what players do.

Just the nature of footy clubs unfortunately. All coaches have favourites. It's unlikely to change.

 

[MC Extra Dollop]

Precisely. And the things that continues to annoy me is Stokes is always mentioned for being so brave and selfless and whatever in 2009 - maybe (I doubt it). 12 months earlier he was equally if not far more as gutless and selfish. Because his decision went a long, long way to costing us a premiership. If that hadn't occurred there's no way he would have pulled out in 2009. He would have been greedy as most players are and tried to get another medal for himself. It's what players do.

Just the nature of footy clubs unfortunately. All coaches have favourites. It's unlikely to change.

I wonder if guys like Stokes and Beams were given the tap on the shoulder early in the week (or they could see the writing on the wall that they wouldn't be in the final 22), before their announcements, as a way of making it sound better for themselves that they'd done the 'team thing'. It was a foregone conclusion that Beams was going to be dropped anyway for the 2011 grand final (remarkable how he came back from that in 2012). And Stokes would have been a bit unlucky, but really, who was he knocking out of that 2009 PF team that slaughtered Collingwood?

 

[MC Extra Dollop]

Going back to Blicavs, it will be interesting to see what happens if they don't promote him this year and he feels like they did the wrong thing by him here, with regards to the management of his injury.

 

[LifeSpan-Void]

Going back to Blicavs, it will be interesting to see what happens if they don't promote him this year and he feels like they did the wrong thing by him here, with regards to the management of his injury.

doubt anything negative will come of it in terms of Blicavs on the list, he's just moved in with Cowan in Geelong rather than commute from Sunbury so it would seem that he'll be getting some main list action.

 

[re cat]

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.

SJ in 2011 GF

 

[James1970]

doubt anything negative will come of it in terms of Blicavs on the list, he's just moved in with Cowan in Geelong rather than commute from Sunbury so it would seem that he'll be getting some main list action.

What about the footy?

 

[LifeSpan-Void]

What about the footy?

Secondary objective at best

 

[JUBJUB]

And to be fair, it wouldn't have been the Geelong medical staff looking at the X-rays, that's what radiologists specialise in.

Way to ruin the whingers rant

 

[LifeSpan-Void]

Way to ruin the whingers rant

The radiologist would do the initial report but the doctors at the club should be throwing the films up on a light box to see for themselves too. I'm not whinging, I'm concerned that things are getting missed.

 

[Pollywaffle]

Fractures in certain areas sometimes don't show up well on initial x rays. Wrists, hand, and foot are notorious in this department.

 

[LifeSpan-Void]

Sure, undisplaced fractures are often difficult to see with the standard profiles. However, that Blicavs continued to report pain and came off the ground cradling his wrist on more than one occasion was a fair red flag. There wasn't enough follow up IMO.

 

[Vdubs]

I wonder if guys like Stokes and Beams were given the tap on the shoulder early in the week (or they could see the writing on the wall that they wouldn't be in the final 22), before their announcements, as a way of making it sound better for themselves that they'd done the 'team thing'. It was a foregone conclusion that Beams was going to be dropped anyway for the 2011 grand final (remarkable how he came back from that in 2012). And Stokes would have been a bit unlucky, but really, who was he knocking out of that 2009 PF team that slaughtered Collingwood?

Exactly, Stokes was dropped for the 09 due to form, redundancy and payback for 08. He effectively did NOT rule himself out. Great story but a stretch of the LIKELY truth.

 

[Vdubs]

The radiologist would do the initial report but the doctors at the club should be throwing the films up on a light box to see for themselves too. I'm not whinging, I'm concerned that things are getting missed.

You don't need to worry.
They do more than chuck the images on a light box; they examine, discuss with radiologists and specialists, and reexamine, and order the special tests that are required.
These guys have trained for years to specialise in sports medicine, and they are not going to miss a fracture in a wrist; it is basic .
They examine the video evidence of how it occurred- nothing is left unturned.
Better things for you to worry about.

 

[LifeSpan-Void]

You don't need to worry.
They do more than chuck the images on a light box; they examine, discuss with radiologists and specialists, and reexamine, and order the special tests that are required.
These guys have trained for years to specialise in sports medicine, and they are not going to miss a fracture in a wrist; it is basic .
They examine the video evidence of how it occurred- nothing is left unturned.
Better things for you to worry about.

So how did it get missed for a month if all of that redundancy is in place? I'm not exactly a layman VEEDUBS, I've done a lot of training of my own so I'm well aware of what should be done - why didn't it happen?

 

[Vdubs]

So how did it get missed for a month if all of that redundancy is in place? I'm not exactly a layman VEEDUBS, I've done a lot of training of my own so I'm well aware of what should be done - why didn't it happen?

If we are talking about scaphoid fractures, they are notoriously hard to pick up on even 2-3 xrays over 2 weeks.
Quite often in AFL, they elect to screw +/- bone graft these fractures, rather than wait 8-10 weeks for cast immobilisation to MAYBE work. Have you ever seen an AFL player walk around with a cast for that time, before surgery?
Me either.
I suggest there may have been delayed surgery, but unlikely that the diagnosis would have been missed for weeks on end. An early CT or MRI would clinch it, but the chosen treatment could be negotiable for a couple of weeks.
IF, as you suggest, this diagnosis was missed for 4 weeks, then that would be alarming. I do not believe that to be the case

 

[LifeSpan-Void]

If we are talking about scaphoid fractures, they are notoriously hard to pick up on even 2-3 xrays over 2 weeks.
Quite often in AFL, they elect to screw +/- bone graft these fractures, rather than wait 8-10 weeks for cast immobilisation to MAYBE work. Have you ever seen an AFL player walk around with a cast for that time, before surgery?
Me either.
I suggest there may have been delayed surgery, but unlikely that the diagnosis would have been missed for weeks on end. An early CT or MRI would clinch it, but the chosen treatment could be negotiable for a couple of weeks.
IF, as you suggest, this diagnosis was missed for 4 weeks, then that would be alarming. I do not believe that to be the case

You aren't listening to me - It was missed, as said by Blitz himself.

 

[Vdubs]

You aren't listening to me - It was missed, as said by Blitz himself.

I couldn't hear you.
If it is documented that Blicavs has said that this was missed for 4 weeks, that is a long time, but not impossible.
Brings me to another of your points, I do not believe this to be a precedent, or a trend, or a common occurrence at Geelong. If true, a delayed diagnosis at worst. We have no details here, and the surgery having taken place now, is mostly the recommended treatment.

 

[son of meto]

Blicavs = TOUGH

Love the way he goes about it...hard as nails!

 

[Vdubs]

Going back to Blicavs, it will be interesting to see what happens if they don't promote him this year and he feels like they did the wrong thing by him here, with regards to the management of his injury.

He will be our 2nd ruck, if DS is ok, that combo worked well, and should only improve

 

[Johnny Cattery]

They should have put the x rays on big footy for us all to have a look at.