The rumour continues: Sonny Bill out for season?

[gaterooze]

Look at Scott Prince -- broke his leg TWICE in quick succession -- yet last year was his best by far.

 

[Hurriflatch]

Slight difference

broken legs (and arms in the case of N.Cayless) are just a bad luck thing

ligament damage is a much bigger issue

 

[Kid]

Look at Scott Prince -- broke his leg TWICE in quick succession -- yet last year was his best by far.

A broken leg, even twice is not in the same ball park as having bone on bone when your 20 years old. Unfortunately SBW will never reach his potential. Even if he is put in cotton wool i doubt he will ever have the match fitness to show us all how good he is. I hope i have egg all over my face, but i just don't see it.

 

[Baron Vo Mandor]

400k of your cap, I know how they feel hope he gets on the paddock and proves to be the superstar where all aware that he has the potential to be.

 

[RABK]

I was at training today and he wasn't there... friggin Glass-House Williams... he's the new Andrew Johns.

Can't wait til Round 3 thou... if Sonny and Andrew are playing, I'm sure we're going to see a double season injury in one night

Johns never picked up a major injury until he was 28 years old.

 

[Booyah]

Slight difference

broken legs (and arms in the case of N.Cayless) are just a bad luck thing

ligament damage is a much bigger issue

Unfortunatley Sonny Bill doesn't have Ligament damage. He has bone-on-bone which is a much much bigger issue and means he's pretty likely to cop Osteoarthritis in his knees as he gets older unless they are properly looked after.

This type of condition means he'll pretty much be restricted to what high-impact fitness he can do without it affecting his knee. Running will be minimised, skipping will probably be out and so too will sprints.

I hope he can swim and ride a bike, because by the sounds of it he'll be doing a hell of a lot of that over the next few years. That and Boxing.

It doesn't mean his career is over though. Terry Lamb did it, Laurie Daley did it and even Shaun Timmins did it. Yes they were older but Timmins was only about 23/24 and he still managed to come back and play Origin and Test footy.

 

[skeepe]

Williams no crock, Dogs say
By Dean Ritchie
February 14, 2006

SENIOR Bulldogs officials last night angrily denied their most hyped and prodigious talent, Sonny Bill Williams, was a crock after scans revealed he had stress fractures in both feet.

The Bulldogs estimate Williams will be out for six weeks, but The Daily Telegraph understands he may miss 10-12 weeks, which would see him return in round nine of the competition in the worst-case scenario.

Scans showed Williams, 20, had damaged the first metatarsal bones in his feet.

Williams has been forced to overcome a series of injury setbacks to his knee, ankle, shoulder, leg and now feet, playing just 20 of 52 first-grade games over two years.

He played only five games last year after damaging his ankle in round four and injuring his knee in round 13.

Bulldogs chief Malcolm Noad described talk of Williams being a crock as "absolute rubbish".

"His injuries are unassociated," Noad said.

"If a player continued to break down with the same knee injury, then he might be a crock," added Noad.

"But aside from this injury, all his others have been impact injuries. It happens in football. It is disappointing for the club but more so for Sonny Bill. He's shattered."

Bulldogs doctor Hugh Hazard said Williams had just been unlucky.
"It's completely unfair. He's only 20. He's still growing," Hazard said.

"He hasn't yet reached his full, lean body mass or his height.

"He is such a prodigious talent and has been put under the pressure of NRL when young.

"It's unfortunate his body was not ready for it.

"We just all hope it all settles down - we have our fingers crossed."

Williams completed a weights session at Belmore yesterday but is "devastated" at the setback. He is still undergoing rehabilitation for a serious knee injury sustained last season.

Former NRL hardman Gorden Tallis said no one in rugby league would question Williams' ability, but he said he could understand how some were starting to "question his durability".

"Fair dinkum, has he broken a mirror or something? I hate putting too many wraps on young blokes but he is potentially as good as there's ever been," Tallis said.

The Daily Telegraph

http://foxsports.news.com.au/story/0,8659,18138509-23214,00.html