Doc gives Mateo a glimmer of hope
Greg Prichard | July 14, 2008
THERE was speculation yesterday that Parramatta star Feleti Mateo's knee injury could end his season, but the club's doctor, Michael Johnson, one of the country's leading orthopaedic surgeons, said his gut feeling was that it wasn't nearly that bad.
Mateo left the field with a medial ligament strain early in the second half of Saturday's game against South Sydney.
He eventually returned to finish the game, with the knee heavily strapped, and booked in for an MRI scan today.
There was talk yesterday that the injury could keep the five-eighth out for up to eight weeks.
Asked where Mateo stood for this Friday's Eels clash with Manly, Johnson said there was a chance he could play.
"I don't know where this talk of Feleti being out for as much as eight weeks is coming from," Johnson said.
"We're not going to know anything for sure until he has the scan. He strained the medial ligament and also sprained his ankle at the same time.
"There was a possibility he had done a bit of damage to the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee, but I don't think there is much to worry about there. I think the medial strain is the problem, but my gut feeling is that he won't miss more than one or two games and there is a chance he won't miss any games at all.
"To suggest he could miss more than a couple of games is going over the top."
Johnson said several other injured Parramatta players would be assessed today including prop Josh Cordoba (abdomen),halfback Brett Finch (hamstring strain) as well as prop Fuifui Moimoi (corked knee).
