Gold Coast captain Gary Ablett will miss the remainder of the season after tearing the medial ligament in his left knee during the opening quarter of Saturday’s game against Adelaide at Adelaide Oval.
Scans on Monday morning confirmed that the dual Brownlow medallist has a grade two tear, which will force his injury-plagued season to come to a premature end after just six appearances.
Ablett suffered the injury late in the first quarter after Matt Shaw fell on his lower leg whilst tackling an opponent.
VIDEO: See the incident that resulted in Ablett's medial ligament strain
The champion midfielder hobbled from the ground in the arms of the trainers before being substituted out of the game shortly after.
“I’ve done some damage to the MCL, obviously the ligament in there. They’re saying about a grade two which will mean I’ve got to be in this brace for four weeks,” Ablett told SUNS TV on Monday afternoon at Metricon Stadium.
“That probably means I’m going to miss the rest of the season which is a bit disappointing. But that’s the way it goes. I’ll just jump into rehab now and get it right for next season.
“It all happened pretty quick. I’ve seen the vision and it really didn’t look like too much.
“One of the boys fell on my ankle and his body weight went across my knee and it kind of felt like a ‘poppy’ feeling in there and I knew I’d done something to it. I went down to the rooms, did some tests and it didn’t feel great.
A reflective Ablett acknowledges the reality that injuries are simply part and parcel of football. Whilst disappointed that his season has come to an end, especially after a brilliant three weeks, the SUNS skipper is focused on getting through his rehabilitation ahead of the start of pre season.
“It’s obviously disappointing. But at the same time, it’s the game we play. Injuries are part of the game,” Ablett said.
“I’ve seen so many of my teammates go through a lot worse injuries than what I’ve had. I’ve been very lucky over my fourteen-year career.
“I’ll just focus on the rehab now, do what I’ve got to do and I’m just looking forward to helping the boys out where I can over the next six weeks and then jumping into a big preseason.”
In his three complete return games, the two-time premiership star averaged 30.3 possessions, 9.3 clearances, 8.7 tackles and 6.7 inside 50s per game. His remarkable return significantly assisted a Gold Coast engine room that has been decimated by injury this season.
Despite his outstanding return to the game after an extended absence, Ablett admits his shoulder wasn’t 100 per cent right. With seven months between now and round one next season, the eight-time All Australian has time on his side to solve his knee and shoulder problems.
“The shoulder wasn’t 100 per cent, but at the same time I was confident enough in it that I wasn’t doing any further damage and I could have finished the season off. But unfortunately this has happened now,” Ablett said.
“I guess in a way, it might be a blessing in disguise. It gives me a bit of time to get the shoulder right as well, going into next pre-season I should be 100 per cent.”
