COLIN Sylvia is on target to achieve two personal milestones this season.
This round he will play his 11th match in a row, equaling his best consecutive game streak achieved in 2005. And with three matches remaining in 2008, Sylvia should finish with 18 matches under his belt – a personal best.
You might think this is an unremarkable statistic. Instead, it should only reinforce the battle Sylvia has had with injury, ever since he first ran out for the red and blue against North Melbourne in round nine, 2004.
For the versatile Demon, who has predominantly played forward this year, but can also play midfield or back, it has been a frustrating road. Ever since Melbourne drafted him at No.3 in the 2003 NAB AFL Draft, Sylvia has had more than his share of injuries.
For the arm-chair critics, it has been easy to take pot shots at the talent-laden 22-year-old, suggesting the high-draftee hasn't lived up to expectations. But the simple fact remains that Sylvia has yet to complete one of his five pre-seasons at Melbourne – not one!
Yet there is hope.
Having identified his injury problems and played every match since round 10, Sylvia is now confident of hitting the ground running when the club starts its 2009 pre-season.
"I've always done pre-seasons in dribs and drabs. I've started one and then pulled up sore or I've broken down or been on a modified pre-season, but this year I've started to string games together and I'm not pulling up sore and not missing training at all," Sylvia told melbournefc.com.au.
"I got to the bottom of my injury – I had a weak core – I've got a very mobile pelvis and I'm very mobile through my hips, which creates a lot of stress and strain in that region. That's where I've got a lot of soreness from, with bone damage and osteitis pubis.
"All of my muscles weren't firing the right way and this put a lot of stress on my groin and lower back and that's where I was breaking down. It's taken five years to get to the bottom of it, but I've finally figured out what works and what doesn't work.
"[Not completing] all of those pre-seasons, you start behind the eight-ball. I wish I could've figured out what it was three or four years ago and maybe things would've been different, but I'm still young enough at 22, so hopefully I've got five to eight years of good footy left in me."
As a result of limited pre-seasons, Sylvia's training program has altered significantly, with methods such as Pilates more prominent. But the fact he has been able to recently increase his intensity in the weights' room has been a boost.
"I've got really weak glutes, so I haven't done a lot of leg weights, because I've had such problems with my groin and lower back, so squats and dead lifts have been out of my training program," he said.
"I was pulling up really sore in my lower back from squats, but I've been using a belt in the last six weeks and I'm starting to see some really good signs."
Interestingly, one measure, which has really helped his cause, has been strategic taping across his stomach. This method, which Sylvia has used since last year, has enabled his hips and pelvis to be pulled in tightly and his body to be stabilised.
It was the same technique Adelaide's Brett Burton used, which prompted Sylvia to contact the high-flying forward.
"Brett Burton was using it for quite some time, so I gave Brett a call and asked: 'How does it go, does it work for you and how long have you been using it?' He really rated it a lot and the first game I played, I could really see the difference and it's been a real key ingredient for getting better, but the body had to adjust too," Sylvia said.
Despite his setbacks, Sylvia, who is set to play his 68th match for Melbourne against West Coast at the MCG on Saturday, is still hard on himself in regards to where his career is at.
"I've been happy in patches and that's been the case throughout my footy career – consistency is the biggest question for me at the moment, but I'm starting to get a little bit of consistency under my belt," he said.
"I'm not happy with where I'm at, at the moment, and I've got high expectations on myself to be a lot further ahead. I might've had a few setbacks along the way, but I'm not going to use them as excuses."
A likeable character and a genuine competitor, Sylvia talked openly about criticism dealt his way throughout his AFL journey, hinting to some off-field incidents, which included a one-match club suspension in round one for missing a recovery session.
"That's something I've got to take in my stride. You can do 10 good things in life and one bad thing and that's what people remember you for and you've got to do another 10 good things to earn that respect back," Sylvia said, adding he "definitely" wants to be involved in the club's leadership program long-term.
"I'm just trying to put my head down, do the right thing, focus on my footy, keep continuing to improve as a person and as a player."
And the signs are more than suggesting that.
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Pretty interesting read, I knew he's had his injury probs in the past but never knew he'd never completed a pre-season! Here's hoping he can show us his potential if he gets a full pre-season in him.
(P.s - I still think he should play in the back-flank; I wish the journo had've asked him where he preferred playing)
This round he will play his 11th match in a row, equaling his best consecutive game streak achieved in 2005. And with three matches remaining in 2008, Sylvia should finish with 18 matches under his belt – a personal best.
You might think this is an unremarkable statistic. Instead, it should only reinforce the battle Sylvia has had with injury, ever since he first ran out for the red and blue against North Melbourne in round nine, 2004.
For the versatile Demon, who has predominantly played forward this year, but can also play midfield or back, it has been a frustrating road. Ever since Melbourne drafted him at No.3 in the 2003 NAB AFL Draft, Sylvia has had more than his share of injuries.
For the arm-chair critics, it has been easy to take pot shots at the talent-laden 22-year-old, suggesting the high-draftee hasn't lived up to expectations. But the simple fact remains that Sylvia has yet to complete one of his five pre-seasons at Melbourne – not one!
Yet there is hope.
Having identified his injury problems and played every match since round 10, Sylvia is now confident of hitting the ground running when the club starts its 2009 pre-season.
"I've always done pre-seasons in dribs and drabs. I've started one and then pulled up sore or I've broken down or been on a modified pre-season, but this year I've started to string games together and I'm not pulling up sore and not missing training at all," Sylvia told melbournefc.com.au.
"I got to the bottom of my injury – I had a weak core – I've got a very mobile pelvis and I'm very mobile through my hips, which creates a lot of stress and strain in that region. That's where I've got a lot of soreness from, with bone damage and osteitis pubis.
"All of my muscles weren't firing the right way and this put a lot of stress on my groin and lower back and that's where I was breaking down. It's taken five years to get to the bottom of it, but I've finally figured out what works and what doesn't work.
"[Not completing] all of those pre-seasons, you start behind the eight-ball. I wish I could've figured out what it was three or four years ago and maybe things would've been different, but I'm still young enough at 22, so hopefully I've got five to eight years of good footy left in me."
As a result of limited pre-seasons, Sylvia's training program has altered significantly, with methods such as Pilates more prominent. But the fact he has been able to recently increase his intensity in the weights' room has been a boost.
"I've got really weak glutes, so I haven't done a lot of leg weights, because I've had such problems with my groin and lower back, so squats and dead lifts have been out of my training program," he said.
"I was pulling up really sore in my lower back from squats, but I've been using a belt in the last six weeks and I'm starting to see some really good signs."
Interestingly, one measure, which has really helped his cause, has been strategic taping across his stomach. This method, which Sylvia has used since last year, has enabled his hips and pelvis to be pulled in tightly and his body to be stabilised.
It was the same technique Adelaide's Brett Burton used, which prompted Sylvia to contact the high-flying forward.
"Brett Burton was using it for quite some time, so I gave Brett a call and asked: 'How does it go, does it work for you and how long have you been using it?' He really rated it a lot and the first game I played, I could really see the difference and it's been a real key ingredient for getting better, but the body had to adjust too," Sylvia said.
Despite his setbacks, Sylvia, who is set to play his 68th match for Melbourne against West Coast at the MCG on Saturday, is still hard on himself in regards to where his career is at.
"I've been happy in patches and that's been the case throughout my footy career – consistency is the biggest question for me at the moment, but I'm starting to get a little bit of consistency under my belt," he said.
"I'm not happy with where I'm at, at the moment, and I've got high expectations on myself to be a lot further ahead. I might've had a few setbacks along the way, but I'm not going to use them as excuses."
A likeable character and a genuine competitor, Sylvia talked openly about criticism dealt his way throughout his AFL journey, hinting to some off-field incidents, which included a one-match club suspension in round one for missing a recovery session.
"That's something I've got to take in my stride. You can do 10 good things in life and one bad thing and that's what people remember you for and you've got to do another 10 good things to earn that respect back," Sylvia said, adding he "definitely" wants to be involved in the club's leadership program long-term.
"I'm just trying to put my head down, do the right thing, focus on my footy, keep continuing to improve as a person and as a player."
And the signs are more than suggesting that.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Pretty interesting read, I knew he's had his injury probs in the past but never knew he'd never completed a pre-season! Here's hoping he can show us his potential if he gets a full pre-season in him.
(P.s - I still think he should play in the back-flank; I wish the journo had've asked him where he preferred playing)
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