THE doctor assessing Anthony Corrie's football-related knee injury likened it to having come from a car crash, and the worst he'd ever seen.
It was feared Corrie had played his last AFL game for Brisbane in 2006 when what looked a regulation tackle in the centre square at the 'Gabba against Fremantle resulted in the then 22-year-old rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament.
While undergoing the prescribed 12-month rehabilitation process, the Lions delisted Corrie during trade week that year but it was an administrative ploy by the club to rework their list. They later re-selected him in that year's rookie draft.
Despite the good doctor's ghastly diagnosis, Corrie made a full recovery and. should he take his place against Richmond in Melbourne tonight, is set to play his 50th match for the Lions. That he's chalking up this milestone is testament to his mental strength, according the Lions' development coach, Chris Johnson.
"He's always believed he can play at this level," Johnson said. "They said his knee injury was the worst one they'd ever seen but Anthony's mentally strong."
Key to Corrie's re-emergence at the Lions is stability.
"He's playing good footy, he's matured alot," Johnson said. "History tells you if you get players to get it right off the ground and keep their mind occupied, they will be better on the field."
Burgoyne, Johncock dropped
IT COULD have been when they were younger at the famous Mallee Football Club in South Australia but no-one's exactly sure when the last time Peter Burgoyne and Graham Johncock line up in the same team.
The pair will have that opportunity today but not by choice. Both players have been dropped from their respective AFL clubs, Port and Adelaide and Adelaide, for disciplinary reasons and will play for Port Adelaide Magpies in the SANFL tomorrow.
Burgoyne, 30, was this week suspended by his club's leadership group after turning up to training in an unfit manner in June. The 2004 premiership player was recovering from a hamstring strain and had missed the past three weeks. The suspension was enforced only when Burgoyne was deemed fit to play.
Johncock, a key member of Adelaide’s defence, has been a little out of sorts on the field this month but his axing wasn’t solely based on form. The Crows football operations manager John Reid told AFL.com.au that 'Johncock had failed to meet the expected standards of preparation'. It, too, was determined by the leadership group he head back to the SANFL.
In better news, the Crows have promoted rookie Jared Petrenko to the senior list.
The 18-year-old recovered earlier this season from a shoulder reconstruction and has played some good football with Woodville-West Torrens in the SANFL. Petrenko won the SANFL's Round 11 Star Search Award nomination for a stand-out performance for the Eagles.
The former SA Under-18 representative was named as an emergency in the Crows side to take on the Swans in Sydney tonight.
DARREN MONCRIEFF
AboriginalFootball@westnet.com.au
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Last Modified on 30/07/2008 23:10