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Luke Covell passes test on new knee
Source: The Daily Telegraph
THIS was the fairytale finish for Sharks veteran Luke Covell's miraculous comeback.
After 72 minutes of sprinting, leaping, pushing, jarring and stepping the 29-year-old had put his right knee through every test rugby league has.
The same knee that nearly brought about the end of his career when he ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament just 11 weeks ago.
The same knee that went under a scalpel for radical surgery just 10 weeks ago.
That knee was the reason Covell was able to soar above the Wentworthville Magpies in the dying stages of his return to football in the NSW Cup at Ringrose Park yesterday.
Covell finished with a second-half double.
"It's just good to be out there again, mate," Covell said after his side's 56-16 win.
"I was a bit rusty, but I'm happy with how it went."
After two darting runs from dummy-half early in the match, any doubts surrounding the groundbreaking Ligament Alignment Augmentation and Reconstructive System (LARS) surgery were laid to rest when he stepped sharply off his right foot and was collected in a crunching tackle.
When he emerged unscathed, Covell's confidence soared.
"I've done all the training and rehabilitation so I wouldn't have gone out there if I didn't feel [my knee] was up to it," he said.
"Your knee is obviously under a lot more strain when you step off it and put pressure on it than when you're just running in a straight direction. I didn't really think about it at first but it felt good to test it out like that in a game situation."
He looked composed for the full 80 minutes, but admitted after the game to being a nervous wreck.
"I don't remember ever being that nervous, not in a long time," he said.
"I woke up this morning and was nervous already. I knew I had to get in there straight away and get my hands on the ball to ease the nerves."
Sharks doctor David Givney said that Covell is well on track to making a return to the NRL this season.
"It's a ridiculous recovery," Givney said. "This will become the norm. I don't think we'll see too many more season-ending knee injuries."
Source: The Daily Telegraph
THIS was the fairytale finish for Sharks veteran Luke Covell's miraculous comeback.
After 72 minutes of sprinting, leaping, pushing, jarring and stepping the 29-year-old had put his right knee through every test rugby league has.
The same knee that nearly brought about the end of his career when he ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament just 11 weeks ago.
The same knee that went under a scalpel for radical surgery just 10 weeks ago.
That knee was the reason Covell was able to soar above the Wentworthville Magpies in the dying stages of his return to football in the NSW Cup at Ringrose Park yesterday.
Covell finished with a second-half double.
"It's just good to be out there again, mate," Covell said after his side's 56-16 win.
"I was a bit rusty, but I'm happy with how it went."
After two darting runs from dummy-half early in the match, any doubts surrounding the groundbreaking Ligament Alignment Augmentation and Reconstructive System (LARS) surgery were laid to rest when he stepped sharply off his right foot and was collected in a crunching tackle.
When he emerged unscathed, Covell's confidence soared.
"I've done all the training and rehabilitation so I wouldn't have gone out there if I didn't feel [my knee] was up to it," he said.
"Your knee is obviously under a lot more strain when you step off it and put pressure on it than when you're just running in a straight direction. I didn't really think about it at first but it felt good to test it out like that in a game situation."
He looked composed for the full 80 minutes, but admitted after the game to being a nervous wreck.
"I don't remember ever being that nervous, not in a long time," he said.
"I woke up this morning and was nervous already. I knew I had to get in there straight away and get my hands on the ball to ease the nerves."
Sharks doctor David Givney said that Covell is well on track to making a return to the NRL this season.
"It's a ridiculous recovery," Givney said. "This will become the norm. I don't think we'll see too many more season-ending knee injuries."
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