Resurgent Sun top story of Day by far
SAM Day is staking a claim to be the best Queensland footy story of the year as he stuns his coaches and teammates with his form since coming back from careerthreatening hip injury.
As recently as late last season former coach Rodney Eade spoke of his fears Day would never play again yet he has returned a better player.
He is attacking the ball in the air better than ever and has noticeably come out of his shell as an on-field leader.
With skipper Tom Lynch injured he will again be the leader of a young offence against Melbourne at the Gabba today, a game the Suns must win to keep touch with the top-eight.
“I am naturally quiet, but on the field I need to be louder and I feel like I see the game pretty well and that gives me the confidence to set my teammates up,” he said.
Day dislocated a hip while trying to gather a ground ball in Gold Coast’s first JLT Community Series game against Brisbane in Broadbeach last year.
He appeared to hyper-extend his knee and such was the force it drove his leg through the back of his hip, cracking off a chunk of bone in the process. Day had complicated surgery where two large screws were inserted to reattach the broken bone and he was unable to put any weight on the leg for two months.
Although he never shared
Eade’s concerns and always thought he would get back one day, he has surprised himself with how quickly it
has happened and also the way he is able to recover from games and is loving his footy.
“You realise how much something means to you when it is taken from you,” he said.
While he has not reached peak fitness and feels his touch could improve, he is happy with his form, too.
“I feel like I am contributing to the team and the role I’m playing is really important,’’ he said.
“I wasn’t handling the footy as much during my recovery as I was focusing on the physical side of things, but I feel like I am getting my touch back, I’ve spilt a couple I’ve gotten my hands on that I’d like to hold on to but I’ve taken a few contested marks.’’
Day’s instinct is always to try to bring a teammate into the game. He is a beautiful set shot and is improving his marking.