NOT OVER FOR NAKIA

PCL blow for Cockatoo, but Cats hope it’s ...

GEELONG is refusing to rule out Nakia Cockatoo returning to football this year, despite scans confirming that the midfielder re-injured his posterior cruciate ligament in Sunday’s VFL game against Sandringham.

Cockatoo will see specialists in the coming days to explore every available option in order to provide him with a chance to play again in 2018.

The 21-year-old injured his knee after he was caught in a tackle, just 10 minutes into his first game since injuring the same knee against West Coast back in April.

It is another cruel blow to the supremely talented youngster.

While Geelong football manager Simon Lloyd said Cockatoo would be given every opportunity to play this season, his recovery was front of his mind.

“Nakia had an MRI so we’re seeking further advice before we determine the best course of action in terms of his recovery,” Lloyd said.

“We’re talking to different surgeons and specialists and we will work out where we need to go to from here.

“We will be guided by the specialists in the area in regards to the severity of the injury, and while we will have a better idea in the coming days (about his availability for the rest of the season), at this point in time we can’t say one way or another.”

Cockatoo has played 34 games since making his debut in 2015, and has suffered a series of setbacks throughout his fledgling career including adductor and thumb injuries and a series of hamstring tears of varying degrees last year.

Lloyd conceded there were challenges involved with keeping the 2014 No. 10 draft pick on the park, but said Geelong was doing everything in its power to get him right.

“He is a powerful athlete that this year has had some structural issues with his knee, so first and foremost we need to address that and then move forward,” Lloyd said.

“He has obviously had a broken thumb and some soft tissue injuries, and obviously the PCL, but the structural ones are difficult, we are working through that with the surgeon and you hope that through surgery and rehabilitation that will alleviate any future issues.

“For us, we have got a medical department that is working very closely with the conditioning team to plan his rehab and we have every intention of Nakia playing and having a long and successful career, but if you look at it to date it has been injury interrupted which is really frustrating, particularly for Nakia. We do explore all options.”