Batkovic firing for farewell scorcher
CAREER IN P AIN BUT SO MUCH TO GAIN
TOWNSVILLE Fire captain Suzy Batkovic has described the “excruciating” pain of ongoing neck and back issues which have threatened to derail her farewell WNBL season.
Batkovic has two compressed discs in her neck and back which she has managed since the 2012 London Olympics, along with four stress fractures in her back.
Those issues flared up in the grand final rematch with the Boomers a fortnight ago and Batkovic was unable to train in the lead- up to last weekend’s road double against Adelaide and Melbourne.
The skipper played through the pain to lead her side to a crucial win over Adelaide and was even named in the WNBL’s team of the week after averaging 19 points and 14 rebounds across the weekend.
Batkovic set the tone in a physical training scrimmage yesterday and she was confident the worst of the pain was now behind her as the Fire prepare for a road trip to Bendigo.
“It’s much better than it was,” Batkovic said. “I don’t have anywhere near as much pain. I feel human again.
“It was excruciating. There was a problem with the nerve as well so I lost a lot of strength in my left arm which is a big issue when you’re so left- handed. The muscles have now stopped spasming and the nerve’s released and it’s just feeling a lot better.”
Batkovic said she couldn’t predict when the issues might flare up, but incredibly she has never missed a game in her six seasons with the Fire.
The 37- year- old said she was hopeful she could make it through the rest of her final WNBL season without too much discomfort.
“I’m living with the physio 24/ 7 and unfortunately all you can do is just wait for it to settle itself,” she said.
“I remember before the last Olympics I played I had the same issue. It was a lot worse – I was bedridden for four days in the lead- up. Hopefully I’ll be right for the rest of the season.”
In a testament to her toughness and longevity, Batkovic ( 5780) needs just 44 more points to overtake Rachael Sporn ( 5823) as the WNBL’s all- time leading scorer.
Batkovic’s season average ( 19.38) gives her a chance of claiming the record in the Fire’s next two games, but the fierce competitor said her sole focus was a win.
“As long as we win I’m happy. We’ve just got to find ways to win,” she said. “Mic Cocks had a tremendous weekend and I think that’s a great sign of some other people putting up good numbers.
“If we can just get a few more people on the board it makes us really hard to defend.”