Mortimer wants shot at the Dogs
* By David Riccio
* From: The Sunday Telegraph
* September 20, 2009 12:01AM
WITH his hip buried in an ice bath, rookie Eels five-eighth Daniel Mortimer stared at the TV monitor and then looked back at his father, Bulldogs great Peter Mortimer.
"He said to me, 'I want to play next week against the Bulldogs. I want to be right, Dad','' Peter said. "He was in pain watching the boys play from inside the sheds. He was hoping like buggery they would continue what they started, just so he could get a chance next week."
"I know there's no doubt he desperately wants a shot at the Dogs. And the doctor reckons with the right treatment he should be right for next week.''
Mortimer was sent for MRI scans at Westmead Hospital yesterday, but was in obvious pain at Parramatta's recovery session yesterday.
He said he would do everything possible to play against the club where his father, Peter, and uncles Chris and Steve are legends.
"If I feel I can go out there and hold my own on Friday night, I'll be there,'' Mortimer said.
"I thought it would be OK (against the Titans). I kept jogging a little bit, but as soon as I tried to break into a fast jog or a run, it was just too much. I thought I would be too much of a liability so I got them to take me off.''
Parramatta club doctor Michael Johnson has given Mortimer a 75 per cent chance of overcoming the hip pointer injury in time to play.
"It's still very tender but less painful with the physio he's had already this morning,'' Johnson said. "He's already on the mend ... hopefully with a lot of physiotherapy he'll be right by Friday."
"He got a large cork or haematoma in the side of his abdomen where it attaches to the side of the pelvis. He couldn't stand on one leg because you need those muscles in the spine and pelvis to maintain your balance. With the bleeding that was within them they couldn't work properly.''
Peter joined his son in the dressing room at the Sydney Football Stadium on Friday night after Mortimer was hit late by Gold Coast forward Sam Tagataese in the 12th minute.
And he backed his son's ability to overcome the odds this week and take on the Bulldogs.
"He's a very quick healer,'' Mortimer said.
"He's naturally got a good metabolism, he heals very quickly so hopefully he'll be right.''
Admitting he had been overwhelmed as his son's remarkable season unfolded, Mortimer claimed he would set aside the sweat and tears from 190 first-grade games with the Bulldogs next Friday night.
"The heart strings are no doubt with Daniel, hopefully he'll get over the injury,'' Mortimer said. "There's no question about that (support)."
"I love seeing the Bulldogs going so well - but only against teams other than Parramatta. Now I understand what my dad was feeling when the three of us were playing. I can see it from another perspective."
"The game will be enormous. There'll be a tremendous amount of interest in the match. It's great for the game. It reminds of all those years ago.''
While coach Daniel Anderson blasted the lack of action against Tagataese, who was cleared by referees boss Robert Finch, Daniel Mortimer said the incident was a "bit of a blur''.
"I suppose that's footy and you've got to cop those things on the chin sometimes,'' he said. "I don't know how late it was, it's all a bit of a blur. If he gets cited, so be it, but it's the end of their season so it doesn't really matter.''
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