Trips home helped Dixon to recharge
A PAIR of return trips home to Cairns kept Saints junior Charlie Dixon “refreshed” as he fought his way back from a leg fracture.
The towering key forward is back in form with Port Adelaide as they push for a finals berth in 2019 but the Far North product has done the gruelling yards in rehabilitation to return to the AFL side.
The 28-year-old suffered a leg fracture and damaged ligaments in August last year and would only fight his way back into Port’s senior side come the middle of June.
Visiting friends and family in Cairns comes rarely during a regular footy season but the former Gold Coast Sun was back straight after his surgery and on another occasion, which he cherished.
“It was really good, I was able to spend some time with my brother’s new little baby, my dad and my sister was back as well,” Dixon said. “It was a really good refresher.
“I was able to be in the moment and be with my family on my second trip back to Cairns.
“My family try to get across to Adelaide a lot of the time but do not get the chance that often.
“For me to get back up there it was really good.”
The spearhead, who admitted to suffering depression during his rehabilitation, played two SANFL games before being included back in the Power side.
While suffering a leg fracture that included damaged ligaments that led to almost an entire season away from footy can never be seen as a positive, Dixon believed there was a silver lining to the long-term layoff.
The Power target man inside 50 was battling a left knee complaint for much of the early parts of 2018, which meant he could hardly run during the week and train with the main group.
He relied on injections to get him through games – and following the leg fracture, the key-position player was able to kill two birds with one stone.
“My body is in the shape that it never really has been before,” Dixon revealed ahead of Sunday’s clash with the Brisbane Lions.
“The tank and fitness, I am still getting there, obviously having four games back, there is still match fitness that I am lacking.
“Physically, my body is really strong and the strongest I have been in a long time.
“Being not able to play, I was able to work on other areas to get myself back to a healthy body.”