IN ROUND 20 last year, James Strauss suffered a nasty broken leg against Carlton at the MCG.
It was a tough blow for the No. 19 pick in the 2008 NAB AFL Draft, after he had played nine of his 11 AFL matches in a row.
Fast forward to March 24 this year and - having undergone surgery and rehabilitation - Strauss returned to play the opening match of the season for Casey in the VFL.
It was a fine effort, considering the nature of the injury.
But his return against Williamstown didn’t run smoothly.
Firstly, he copped a knock in the ankle, where the two screws from surgery were inserted in his leg. Still, it wasn’t enough to stop him from playing on at the time.
But, soon enough, his match ended after he was knocked out in a contest.
He subsequently missed the next two matches, but then the knock he had received to his ankle started to trouble him considerably.
Consequently, he missed another eight matches and did not return to football until June 9, when he played for Casey against Coburg Tigers in the VFL development league.
During his time on the sidelines, Strauss had the two screws removed from his left ankle. Initially, he was supposed to play the 2012 season with the screws in his ankle, but a change in philosophy actually put his season back on track.
“The knock ended up moving or pushing the screws into my leg a bit more,” Strauss told melbournefc.com.au.
“No one really knew what happened - the physios or doctors - and it ended up that it switched my calf, glute and hammy off. So I had no power or strength in my leg and I had to build them all back up - I had to work on that for 10 weeks.
“When I went out to run and jump, I had no spring in my leg and I couldn’t run without limping. When I tried to jump, I was shocking - I couldn’t get off the ground.
“Two days after the surgeon took the screws out, I was back to where I was before I got the kick in the ankle. So everything came back.”
Now, as Melbourne prepares for its round 21 clash against Greater Western Sydney at Manuka Oval, Strauss is gearing up for his sixth match of the season.
Although in his past 12 months Strauss has endured more downs than ups, he “definitely” feels stronger for the experience.
“You have the critics who say ‘he’ll never play again’ … but you build up a bit of mental toughness after going through a fair bit of mental stress,” he said.
“Having the injuries and then the setback after playing round one in the VFL - and then not playing until mid-way through the season - it’s a long time out of footy.
“I’ve got over the mental side of it, and now I’m feeling good into the future.”
Strauss didn’t believe he had exceeded expectations upon his return, as he felt he could always return this year.
“I might’ve exceeded people on the outside, but for myself, once I got up and running, I moved along pretty well, until I had that hiccup in round one in the VFL,” he said.
“Until then, I thought I was going pretty well, but I don’t go back and think about it, because it’s not the best thing to think about.
“I’ve taken a few big steps from where I was last year. I’m finding my feet again at AFL level, and I’m confident that I’ll finish off the season well and have a crack at the pre-season and then look forward to next season.”
Strauss said backline development coach Andrew Nichol had been a strong support for him this year. The duo has a long history together, given Strauss was coached by Nichol coming through the ranks.
“Andrew has helped me a whole lot. He was a junior school teacher at Scotch [College], so I knew him through there,” he said.
“He was my under 12 Victorian primary school assistant coach, and then my under 18 assistant coach in Vic Metro. So I’ve known him for a while, and he’s helped a lot.
“He’s helped on the mental side of things, and getting things out in the open, and what I’m feeling. You need to vent some stuff with someone, so he’s been there to listen and he’s copped a fair bit of stuff from me, which has been good.”
Strauss also praised teammate Joel Macdonald for his advice and mentoring during his rehabilitation from injury.
“Joel didn’t have the same injury as me - he had a knee injury at Brisbane - but he’s given me a few tips and ideas on how I can keep working through rehab,” he said.
“He’s made sure I kept improving when I was in rehab, so he’s been really good for me.
“Bleasey (Sam Blease) has also helped me, because we’ve gone through the same injury.”
Strauss also received strong well wishes from outside the club, with one coming from Fremantle’s Michael Barlow.
“I spoke to Michael - not so much during this year, but when I broke my leg last year.
“He made the initial contact and sent me a message, pretty much straight after the day after I broke it.
“I spoke to him and caught up for coffee with him - it was really good and it was good to chat to him about what he went through in his rehab and the setbacks he had. He was really good.”
Strauss, who played his 16th AFL match last round, gained 18 disposals against St Kilda. It was his best effort so far this season. But he is determined to build on each of his final three matches.
“I’d like to get more run-and-carry into my game, but at the moment, I’m doing my job defensively,” he said.
“I’m slowly building my game offensively and, in the next three weeks, I’ve got the chance to build and provide a bit more run-and-carry.
“It’s been pretty positive. Neeldy (Mark Neeld) likes the way I keep my feet and carry the footy, and the way I run. He just wants me to keep working defensively, so hopefully I can keep that going for the rest of the year.”
It was a tough blow for the No. 19 pick in the 2008 NAB AFL Draft, after he had played nine of his 11 AFL matches in a row.
Fast forward to March 24 this year and - having undergone surgery and rehabilitation - Strauss returned to play the opening match of the season for Casey in the VFL.
It was a fine effort, considering the nature of the injury.
But his return against Williamstown didn’t run smoothly.
Firstly, he copped a knock in the ankle, where the two screws from surgery were inserted in his leg. Still, it wasn’t enough to stop him from playing on at the time.
But, soon enough, his match ended after he was knocked out in a contest.
He subsequently missed the next two matches, but then the knock he had received to his ankle started to trouble him considerably.
Consequently, he missed another eight matches and did not return to football until June 9, when he played for Casey against Coburg Tigers in the VFL development league.
During his time on the sidelines, Strauss had the two screws removed from his left ankle. Initially, he was supposed to play the 2012 season with the screws in his ankle, but a change in philosophy actually put his season back on track.
“The knock ended up moving or pushing the screws into my leg a bit more,” Strauss told melbournefc.com.au.
“No one really knew what happened - the physios or doctors - and it ended up that it switched my calf, glute and hammy off. So I had no power or strength in my leg and I had to build them all back up - I had to work on that for 10 weeks.
“When I went out to run and jump, I had no spring in my leg and I couldn’t run without limping. When I tried to jump, I was shocking - I couldn’t get off the ground.
“Two days after the surgeon took the screws out, I was back to where I was before I got the kick in the ankle. So everything came back.”
Now, as Melbourne prepares for its round 21 clash against Greater Western Sydney at Manuka Oval, Strauss is gearing up for his sixth match of the season.
Although in his past 12 months Strauss has endured more downs than ups, he “definitely” feels stronger for the experience.
“You have the critics who say ‘he’ll never play again’ … but you build up a bit of mental toughness after going through a fair bit of mental stress,” he said.
“Having the injuries and then the setback after playing round one in the VFL - and then not playing until mid-way through the season - it’s a long time out of footy.
“I’ve got over the mental side of it, and now I’m feeling good into the future.”
Strauss didn’t believe he had exceeded expectations upon his return, as he felt he could always return this year.
“I might’ve exceeded people on the outside, but for myself, once I got up and running, I moved along pretty well, until I had that hiccup in round one in the VFL,” he said.
“Until then, I thought I was going pretty well, but I don’t go back and think about it, because it’s not the best thing to think about.
“I’ve taken a few big steps from where I was last year. I’m finding my feet again at AFL level, and I’m confident that I’ll finish off the season well and have a crack at the pre-season and then look forward to next season.”
Strauss said backline development coach Andrew Nichol had been a strong support for him this year. The duo has a long history together, given Strauss was coached by Nichol coming through the ranks.
“Andrew has helped me a whole lot. He was a junior school teacher at Scotch [College], so I knew him through there,” he said.
“He was my under 12 Victorian primary school assistant coach, and then my under 18 assistant coach in Vic Metro. So I’ve known him for a while, and he’s helped a lot.
“He’s helped on the mental side of things, and getting things out in the open, and what I’m feeling. You need to vent some stuff with someone, so he’s been there to listen and he’s copped a fair bit of stuff from me, which has been good.”
Strauss also praised teammate Joel Macdonald for his advice and mentoring during his rehabilitation from injury.
“Joel didn’t have the same injury as me - he had a knee injury at Brisbane - but he’s given me a few tips and ideas on how I can keep working through rehab,” he said.
“He’s made sure I kept improving when I was in rehab, so he’s been really good for me.
“Bleasey (Sam Blease) has also helped me, because we’ve gone through the same injury.”
Strauss also received strong well wishes from outside the club, with one coming from Fremantle’s Michael Barlow.
“I spoke to Michael - not so much during this year, but when I broke my leg last year.
“He made the initial contact and sent me a message, pretty much straight after the day after I broke it.
“I spoke to him and caught up for coffee with him - it was really good and it was good to chat to him about what he went through in his rehab and the setbacks he had. He was really good.”
Strauss, who played his 16th AFL match last round, gained 18 disposals against St Kilda. It was his best effort so far this season. But he is determined to build on each of his final three matches.
“I’d like to get more run-and-carry into my game, but at the moment, I’m doing my job defensively,” he said.
“I’m slowly building my game offensively and, in the next three weeks, I’ve got the chance to build and provide a bit more run-and-carry.
“It’s been pretty positive. Neeldy (Mark Neeld) likes the way I keep my feet and carry the footy, and the way I run. He just wants me to keep working defensively, so hopefully I can keep that going for the rest of the year.”
