Walker Injury Thread 2009

Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2009 12:23 pm

Fit Walker shoulders hopes anew, here for more

Real Footy
Emma Quayle | August 9, 2009

Quote:

IT TAKES about 25 minutes before each training session and game for Andrew Walker to have his reconstructed shoulders smothered in protective tape. In the rooms on Friday night, the Carlton defender needed help removing his guernsey and then stood, wincing, as the tape was torn off by two members of the club’s conditioning staff. Welcome to the life of a footballer whose shoulders have been put back together four times in six seasons.

"If you can imagine what it’s like to wax a cat, that’s kind of what it feels like to pull it off, because they glue it right down to my skin," Walker said after the ordeal. "I guess it’s the ugly side of footy that people don’t really see. I have to get help with putting it on, taking it off, but it’s been like that for three years now. Unfortunately it’s something I’m used to."

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Hopefully he can put all his injury woes behind him. For his and the club's sake, I hope he doesn't turn into that player who would have been something special had it not been for injuries.

Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2009 1:00 pm

Tex is still only 22 years old and probably yet to reach his peak. He will be better next year once he has had a good pre season.

Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2009 4:56 pm

I still say we should have put AW away for this year and not risked him.

Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2009 6:49 pm

Gointocarlton wrote:

I still say we should have put AW away for this year and not risked him.

If he can get thru the rest of this year, he'll have a great break and even better preseason, without any doubts hanging over his head about his shoulders. It'll actually do his confidence good to play out the rest of this year.
With him having missed so much footy in his short career, I doubt the club would be taking any risks at all with him.

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Gointocarlton wrote:

I still say we should have put AW away for this year and not risked him.

The article says he had an extended rehabilitation period (33% longer than he needed). That shoulder is as strong as it's going to get. The experience is invaluable. I'd rather him get 6 weeks of football now - instead of not touching the ball at the top level for another 7-8 months!

Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2009 8:56 pm

Kid must have broken so many mirrors in his past life. My oldest knows exactly what the tape is like to remove. From her foot before a run. Getting to be a typical start. Hope Walker is protected on the field, because I would bleed if he went down with the same injury one more time. Doesn't deserve it.