SIMPKIN YET TO MAKE CALL ON FUTURE
COLAC star Tom Simpkin is no certainty to play football again, despite having surgery to repair a ruptured ACL.
Simpkin has not played since Round 4 last year after snapping the ACL graft in his right knee and breaking his wrist in a freak incident against St Mary’s, with Tigers coach Rowan McSparron revealing the former St Kilda defender had made no call on his future.
“He’s had the knee done, so now it’s just a matter of family balance and everything else,” McSparron said of Simpkin.
“It’s his second (ACL rupture), so it’s up to him whether he wants to come back or whether he wants to keep coaching the under-19s, because having Tom there for the development of the 19s is fantastic.”
McSparron said the club would not put any pressure on Simpkin to return, insisting the chances of him coming back were 50-50.
“I’d be flipping a coin,” McSparron said.
“We’d obviously love him to play, but he’s got bigger things to worry about. When he starts having kids he wants to be able to run around and have a kick with them — things that most people take for granted — but these people who have multiple injuries have to weigh up the future as well.”
Having gone under the knife to repair his knee earlier this year, Simpkin could be ready to resume in 2021, should he decide to play on.
“That’s 100 per cent feasible, but whether it comes to fruition or not, that’s something that has to play out,” McSparron said.
“One of the reasons he did want to get involved in coaching and help out with the under-19s is he was thinking footy might be done for him.
“So to think I’m going to have another recruit in Tom (for next season) would be pretty foolish, I reckon.”