http://www.sharks.com.au/news-display/Injury-Bittersweet-for-Sharks-Tupou/57495
Being injured sucks
. It really does.
You work so hard in the pre season and after a few games, bang, your knees gone.
Injuries are so mentally draining. All you can think about is that next game youll get the chance to run out onto the field with the boys.
If you get that chance.
This season has been pretty hard in particular because the team is going so well. Forget rehab. Forget the early mornings. Forget the physio appointments. Thats the easy stuff.
Its those very times when youre sitting on the sideline watching on. Those times where you feel helpless and unable to contribute or help the boys out on the field. Thats the hardest thing about recovering from an injury. Those times where you come to games dressed up in your suit, but never get to change out of it.
Thats not to say I didnt know rehab would be hard. It just feels a whole lot more real. Even at training, you just want to be out on the paddock getting hammered by the trainers, not stuck inside the gym, training by yourself.
I had the exact same surgery as Nathan Stapleton where the surgeon replaced the ligament with a deceased person's Achilles tendon. The first two weeks were a struggle, because youre still in pain and you dont see anything getting better, but after a while you see the improvement and that really starts to motivate you to work your way back. Its an incentive to train harder.
Suffering a torn ACL though has given me some more time. More time to think about life in general, think about training and working towards how I want to return to the field.
Ive also had the chance to spend more time with my beautiful wife and two little boys. Thats been a big positive. You get to do those little things with the family that you dont necessarily normally get to do because youre always coming home from training late. Ive certainly appreciated that time and havent wasted it. It honestly shows that there is more to life than rugby league.
I watched the Origin game last week and was really nervous about it all. I dont know why, but I was literally on the edge of my seat. It felt weird because Queensland have been so dominant in previous years that no matter how big a lead the Blues had, the Maroons were capable of anything. The game looked much faster, intense and brutal too, it was a cracking game and I know the decider will be even better.
Away from footy Ive been watching a fair bit of the NBA. My favourite player would have to be Rajon Rondo. Hes all class and I love it when all the mad little players run rings around their opponents. Im barracking for the Heat in the finals, only because they fell short last season. I dont support a team as such. Well I did, it was the Spurs, but they let me down last season so I ditched them. Bad fan I know. Lucky they didnt make it through this season - they were certainly close and there wouldve been plenty of egg on my face if theyd proved me wrong! Westbrook is another player I enjoy watching. Ive actually got game three taped, I havent had a chance to watch it yet, so hopefully Ill find some time tonight for it.
Lastly, Id like to give a shout out to Boogie, Jayson Bukuya. Its great to see him playing so well and ripping in, it didnt surprise me one bit. Hes been waiting for a while now to get his chance, and thats only because of injury, but hes certainly taken his opportunity and it shows what a bit of game time can do for a player. Hes come back from some horrific injuries and his form certainly motivates me to come back and play just as good as he is at the moment. Hes turned into a great player and Im sure plenty of teams will be doing a lot of video on him now.
Anyway, thats enough for me. I havent written something like this in a while
my eyes are going blurry looking at the screen!
My goal is to be back for the Roosters clash in round 18 but I know I won't just walk back into the team easily. It will be a challenge but one I can't wait for. Thanks for the support everyone.
Toops.
