Menzel bides his time
Star Cat ‘doubtful’ for must-win Swans clash
DANIEL Menzel made a promising return to football, kicking two goals and getting through the Geelong VFL clash against Werribee unscathed.
But the mercurial forward shut down suggestions he would be on the plane to Sydney with the Cats for their must-win AFL match against the Swans on Thursday.
With such a short turnaround, Menzel said the likelihood would be that he plays another match in the VFL, which could involve less game time in a bid to be available for the following week’s clash against Adelaide.
“I’ll have a chat with the guys but I’m doubtful (for Sydney), I reckon,” Menzel said.
“I think I did about 12kms so I don’t think it will be this week. It is a five-day break for us so it is going to be extremely tough, so for me I think it will be Frankston next Sunday and we’ll judge it how we want to play that.
“It’s absolutely a possibility (to play less time next week), but we’ll have a chat about that and see what next week looks like. That definitely could be a way we go but for this week it was just about getting through the game, have a full game and see how I pull up and then probably launch for Frankston on Sunday.”
Saturday’s match was the first time Menzel has played football at any level since April.
The 26-year-old said while he never had any serious doubts that he would make it back this season, his level of frustration continued to grow the longer his groin injury lingered.
“I knew within myself that for every week I was stuck at home and not able to walk properly, let alone do any training, that it was going to add an extra week on to how much training I would have to do to get back into match fitness and reconditioning,” he said.
“So that was the frustration, that every week that went by where we didn’t make any progress, it was a realisation that I would have another two weeks on top of that as well.
“So I always thought I would make it back but at the same time it has been a frustrating ten weeks that it has dragged out so long.”
Despite the confidence in his body, Menzel, who finished the game with 12 possessions, three marks, two inside-50s, said it was a relief to be back doing what he does best. “The first quarter I felt like I was running around with my head cut off but the second, third and fourth felt a lot better,” he said.
“I just felt back in the game I guess with my movements and match fitness. It is a relief to be back out there, first and foremost, but also I’m pretty pleased with how the body got through.
“We’ve had to really build the last month and get myself back in a condition to play footy. Having not trained or basically moved for a month straight it’s amazing what all your muscles do, and how they decondition. The last week or two I’ve been a little bit nervous if I’m being honest because I knew I still had a bit of work to do. There were a few cobwebs today but I was really happy with how the body went.”