Dixon reveals injury heartbreak
CAIRNS junior Charlie Dixon has opened up about his “heartbreaking” dual leg break and conceded he has found it mentally tough processing his demise in Port Adelaide’s slide from premiership contention.
Dixon’s right ankle and leg were fractured in a marking contest during the third term of Port Adelaide’s after the siren, four-point loss to West Coast at Adelaide Oval in round 21.
Dixon (pictured) won’t begin running for 10 weeks in a substantial delay to his 2019 pre-season.
“I was pretty emotional. I am an emotional human and to know my season was over was heartbreaking,” said Dixon, restricted to 26 goals in 20 games in a season where Port has struggled to hurt rivals offensively.
“I am a competitor and I want to be out there playing but I have to deal with that, look to next year and come back bigger and stronger.”
Dixon feared the worst after landing awkwardly having soldiered through an eight-year, 126-game career stymied by ankle issues
“I was relieved from the photo it was my ankle and leg as I thought I could have done my knee. Where my knee and ankle ended up I was just lucky I have hyper mobile joints,” added 200cm spearhead Dixon, speaking for the first time since his season-ending injury.
“It is pretty disappointing to finish the way I did. The surgery is something I have had before on the left ankle apart from the break in the leg. They put three screws in that and two synthetic cords through the ankle and tied it all together.
“I heard a fairly significant crack and when I pulled my leg out from underneath me I thought it was going to be facing the other way.”
Dixon has been suffering from left knee tendonitis but doctors advised rest.
“I have been carrying an injury with the left knee so I will have a fair bit of time off both legs,” Dixon said.
“I will be doing a fair bit of upper-body stuff to get me going but at the moment I will be four or five weeks left in the boot and crutches and in 10 weeks I will be hopefully jogging around freely.”
Dixon says ninth-placed Port’s season isn’t over despite its path to the eight requiring victory over Essendon on Friday night and former side Gold Coast upsetting Geelong.