Surgery delay hits comeback plans

THE “minor hope” Grovedale champion Nathan Deans had for returning in 2022 has been dashed by a delay for his second bout of surgery on his knee.

The Mathieson Medal winner had been hoping to have his anterior cruciate ligament repaired in October, but those plans have been pushed back until the end of the year.

The postponement has ruled Deans (pictured) out of making a return next season after his knee injury was likened to a “car crash” by coach Daniel Fraser.

He ruptured his ACL, iliotibial band (ITB) and lateral collateral ligament (LCL) and also damaged his hamstring and calf muscles in the round 12 game against Bell Park in July.

There was also a partial tear of his posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) and a grade 2 sprain of his medial collateral ligament.

Deans said the initial operation was for his ITB and hamstring muscles, which had “coiled up my leg”.

“That’s why they had to get the LCL and the two hamstring muscles reattached as quickly as they could,” he said.

“You’re not supposed to leave them there for too long if they’ve coiled up your leg.”

Deans will have a reconstruction of his left knee before Christmas or into the new year.

He said his recovery was progressing well but the procedure would rule him out until 2023.

“It gives me that 12 months of how long it’s supposed to take for the (knee reconstruction) recovery, plus that extra four or five months before round 1,” he said.

“I can then get a bit of confidence back into myself mentally and get a bit more confidence physically that I can do the 12 months rehab and have five months of actual full training knowing it’s going to be able to stand up to it.”

When Deans does return, it means the star midfielder will have played only nine games in three years given the two Covid-interrupted seasons.