Hannebury heading out of hub and under the knife
ST Kilda midfielder Dan Hannebery will leave the team’s Noosa hub and return to Melbourne this week for surgery on his injured hamstring, placing the remainder of his season in doubt.
The 29-year-old (right) reinjured his right hamstring tendon — which he hurt in Round 5 — at training on the
Border Football League, a former league record.
He won a league best-andfairest while playing with West Gambier in 1988 and tried his hand in the SANFL with Woodville.
“My old man played a fair bit of football so I followed him and looked up to him,” Close said.
“He did play a fairly big role in a lot of ways and I think that’s why he gets a bit excited.
“I think he’s just hoping for me to do the best I can.”
As he has waited for his debut, Close and fellow Cat James Parsons took over the clippers as barbers during quarantine.
Close said he was yet to get a particularly bad review, probably because he keeps it simple.
“I don’t use the scissors too much,” he said.
Close settled up forward for Glenelg last year and played 21 games on the way to a SANFL flag,
Sunshine Coast on Thursday, with the club on Sunday electing for the surgical option for the former Swan.
Hannebery’s luckless run with soft-tissue injuries, and particularly his right hamstring, has plagued his time at Moorabbin, with his first season at the club in 2019 restricted to just four games.
“We obviously feel for Dan, who has put in so much work to get himself right and will now need to complete a lengthy program before returning to the field,” Saints head of football David Rath said.
“We are not sure at this stage exactly how long he will be sidelined for ... we think he will miss a considerable amount of footy.
“Dan is a really important part of our group with his experience and leadership, and the way he can influence both at training and on game-day. It’s obviously a blow for him personally and for the team.”
The Saints hope Hannebery could return to the team’s Queensland hub at some point as his rehabilitation progresses, but if he is sidelined for any longer than six weeks the remainder of his 2020 season would be in significant doubt.
Teammate Jimmy Webster was injured in the same session, though not as severely.
“Thankfully Jimmy’s is a less severe hamstring injury. We anticipate he will be back in full training in three to four weeks,” Rath said.
“He has endured a frustrating run trying to regain full fitness after a back injury, and is an important player for us when fully fit.”