EMERGING defender James Strauss says he will look to teammate Sam Blease and other players like Fremantle’s Michael Barlow as inspiration, following his broken leg sustained against Carlton at the MCG on Saturday.
Strauss broke his tibia and fibula after he jumped up in the air and punched the ball.
As he landed, he bent his leg in a sickening fashion. He was immediately taken from the ground via a motorised stretcher and his season was over.
It was a tough blow from the promising Demon, considering his injury battles at the club, but the 21-year-old is remaining upbeat.
“I’m trying to stay positive. Everyone at the footy club has been really positive and the doctors have been really good. I had surgery on Saturday and had a rod put in my leg and I’ve got three pins holding that in place,” he said.
“Now I’m on crutches for six weeks and then I can start weight bearing - if everything goes to plan - in about two weeks. Then hopefully I can put a bit of weight through the leg.
“Sam Blease’s [broken leg] was a bit lower and closer to the ankle - mine was a really clean break. You look at Barlow from Fremantle and he’s come back and is now playing some pretty good footy, so I’m staying positive.”
Strauss says he clearly remembers the incident, but doesn’t want to be reminded of it visually.
“I haven’t watched the incident to remind myself. At the time, I just remember punching the footy and then landing and it was a pretty awkward land,” he said.
“Then I looked down and it didn’t look too pretty and then I just knew exactly what I’d done straight away, so I put my hand up. I just waited for the doctors and trainers to come out to me.
“I didn’t really want to move and then I just went down into the rooms and it went from there.”
Strauss said the “first 30 seconds to a minute were really painful”, then he went into shock.
“It (the shock) set in. I just tried to calm down and the doctors told me to slow my breathing down,” he said.
“The most pain I was in was when I was trying to take my footy boot off underneath in the rooms at the ‘G. Then I was trying to take my sock off and that was pretty painful.”
Strauss is not “100 per cent” sure how long he will be sidelined, but he wants to undertake his rehabilitation carefully.
“I’ll do all of my rehab properly and hopefully there won’t be any hiccups along the way and I can get back as quick as possible. I’ll talk to as many blokes as I can about rehab,” he said.
“I’ve had a few setbacks in my short career. I’ve had a shoulder reco and hip surgery, so I know what rehab’s about and I need to go back and do it properly and not take any short cuts.
“This is probably the most serious injury I’ve had, so I’ll do everything the doctors and physios tell me to do.”
Strauss also thanked his family, friends and all Melbourne supporters for their kind well wishes.
“They (my family) didn’t know what I’d done straight away, but they’re right behind me and they just want to see my playing footy,” he said.
Strauss broke his tibia and fibula after he jumped up in the air and punched the ball.
As he landed, he bent his leg in a sickening fashion. He was immediately taken from the ground via a motorised stretcher and his season was over.
It was a tough blow from the promising Demon, considering his injury battles at the club, but the 21-year-old is remaining upbeat.
“I’m trying to stay positive. Everyone at the footy club has been really positive and the doctors have been really good. I had surgery on Saturday and had a rod put in my leg and I’ve got three pins holding that in place,” he said.
“Now I’m on crutches for six weeks and then I can start weight bearing - if everything goes to plan - in about two weeks. Then hopefully I can put a bit of weight through the leg.
“Sam Blease’s [broken leg] was a bit lower and closer to the ankle - mine was a really clean break. You look at Barlow from Fremantle and he’s come back and is now playing some pretty good footy, so I’m staying positive.”
Strauss says he clearly remembers the incident, but doesn’t want to be reminded of it visually.
“I haven’t watched the incident to remind myself. At the time, I just remember punching the footy and then landing and it was a pretty awkward land,” he said.
“Then I looked down and it didn’t look too pretty and then I just knew exactly what I’d done straight away, so I put my hand up. I just waited for the doctors and trainers to come out to me.
“I didn’t really want to move and then I just went down into the rooms and it went from there.”
Strauss said the “first 30 seconds to a minute were really painful”, then he went into shock.
“It (the shock) set in. I just tried to calm down and the doctors told me to slow my breathing down,” he said.
“The most pain I was in was when I was trying to take my footy boot off underneath in the rooms at the ‘G. Then I was trying to take my sock off and that was pretty painful.”
Strauss is not “100 per cent” sure how long he will be sidelined, but he wants to undertake his rehabilitation carefully.
“I’ll do all of my rehab properly and hopefully there won’t be any hiccups along the way and I can get back as quick as possible. I’ll talk to as many blokes as I can about rehab,” he said.
“I’ve had a few setbacks in my short career. I’ve had a shoulder reco and hip surgery, so I know what rehab’s about and I need to go back and do it properly and not take any short cuts.
“This is probably the most serious injury I’ve had, so I’ll do everything the doctors and physios tell me to do.”
Strauss also thanked his family, friends and all Melbourne supporters for their kind well wishes.
“They (my family) didn’t know what I’d done straight away, but they’re right behind me and they just want to see my playing footy,” he said.
