People, particularly men, want to know what injuries I’ve had in my career. This is the lowlights of my career to date; the ones I remember anyway:
– Ankle reconstruction (Club Rugby for Eastwood 2000)
– Shoulder reconstruction (Waratahs 2003)
– Knee reconstruction (Captain for Australian 7s 2004 in Singapore)
– One front tooth snapped off so have a bolt attached tooth (Waratahs 2004)
– Lateral Meniscus Tear (Melbourne Rebels in the ARC 2007)
– 10cm hamstring tear (Melbourne Rebels in the ARC 2007)
– Rib cartilage damage (Force 2006)
– Compressed fracture of the left Cheek bone – metal plate inserted (Western Force Spring Tour 2008)
– Left AC Joint (During my first game in Wallaby Colours vs Barbarians 2009)
– Multiple Groin Tears (During Wallabies Season 2010)
– Right AC Joint (Force – Dropped from the top of a line out and landed on my head and shoulder 2011)
– Broken nose 31 times. Including 2 times in 4 weeks 2011
– Countless stitches…record is 17 stitches in one game in 3 cuts in my face (Sharks vs Force 2010)
– Countless broken and dislocated fingers; Including one knuckle that will need replacing when I retire (latest dislocation on Monday this week)
– Regularly break toes – including one that refuses to heal, ever
– Multiple concussions
– Frequent rolled ankles at all levels – treated with rehab and preventative strapping for everyday games
– Multiple cracked ribs
– Black eyes, grazes, cuts, corks, bruising are just regular byproducts of contact sports, especially for a forward
I have been pretty fortunate in my career to avoid prolonged, ongoing repeat injuries. Let’s hope that this continues until I hang up the boots. Thanks to all the doctors and surgeons who have put me back together over the years and to the physios who manage my body throughout the long rugby season. Professional sportspeople would not have the long careers that we do without the developments in treatments and the talents of the medical profession.
