Bad luck plagues Lucy
Second ACL injury ends season for Grubber, Cougar
“I was inconsolable for a couple of days, I wasn’t happy, but I just figure there is nothing I can do and I just know how quickly I came back last time and how hard I worked.”
IT may be true lightning never strikes the same place twice, but do not expect Ocean Grove netballer Lucy Vercher to believe it.
The 22-year-old, who has forged a reputation as one of the region’s best defenders, was playing for the Geelong Cougars last Wednesday, a year and two days after she ruptured her right ACL.
With minutes remaining in the opening quarter, Vercher jumped for a rebound and landed awkwardly, this time rupturing the ACL in her left knee.
It would be a bitter pill to swallow for any player, and for a young woman who had made the move from Colac to Geelong this year to study occupational therapy and have another crack at state league netball, it was devastating.
But Vercher saids the knowledge she gained over the past 12 months would be helpful during her rehabilitation this time around.
“I knew straight away and I was pretty upset,” she said.
“I was inconsolable for a couple of days, I wasn’t happy, but I just figure there is nothing I can do and I just know how quickly I came back last time and how hard I worked.
“I know what to do this time so I just have to get on and do it. The last one was really smooth and I got back really quickly.
“My right one is really, really strong now so I’ll go and get this one done and hopefully I’ll have two good knees.
“But at the moment I don’t even want to think about netball, I just have to get in and get the surgery done, get into rehab and get back.
“I think I’m going to take my 12 months this time because I was back within seven months last time, which is really quick.”
When Vercher injured her right knee last year she was playing for the Cougars, and she said she would weigh up the pros and cons of continuing VNL once she had surgery.
Her Grubbers teammates were left shocked by the news, coming as it did in a week where several other players were already missing due to injury.
Ocean Grove is sitting in third place on the BFNL ladder with five games to go in the season, and its recent good form against Geelong Amateur and Modewarre suggested a flag for first-year coach Elyse Howard was more than just a pipedream.
That task becomes much harder without Vercher, and Howard said to lose her star goalkeeper at this point of the year was crushing.
“Lucy is very open and honest and a massive leader on the court,” she said.
“She is vocal and motivating and gives really good feedback to the girls, so from a coaching point of view, and playing in the goalkeeping position, she can see everything that goes on.
“She has been really well received around the club and it’s massive, I can’t describe it. It is devastating for us because she is our best player.
“To lose her after we’ve been finding some form and playing well is very disappointing for the club, but obviously mostly for Lucy, who can’t play netball any more (this year). So we just want to make sure that we support her and give her everything she needs.”
But despite the sentiments of her coach, the modest youngster said she was confident her teammates could cover her absence.
“It’s been pretty unfortunate that we’ve had a few injuries this year, so we’ve been very, very unlucky,” Vercher said.
“But they will do well, I’m only one player and they will be fine. We have got a really strong team this year and if we get knocked out then we’ll be back next year.
“I’m not too worried, they’ll be fine without me.”
LUCY VERCHER