Woepati still
Of injuries sees wounded star putting on
IF Jerome Ropati requires any additional motivation as he contemplates the long, hard road back from yet another knee injury, he need only look at the recent resurgence of former club team-mate Brent Tate.
Ropati, who has made just 91 of a possible 165 NRL appearances since the start of the 2006 season, will miss the rest of the Warriors’ 2012 campaign after dislocating his patella against the Roosters in round 10.
He went under the knife earlier in the week – his second surgery on his left knee in as many years – and won’t be ready for action again until next season.
The latest injury is a cruel blow for the club veteran, who, in the last three years alone has managed to chalk up only 18 appearances thanks to multiple injury problems.
But despite being once again consigned to the sidelines, Ropati, only 27, has not even contemplated an early retirement, according to his agent Bruce Sharrock.
Less than a week before his latest knee complaint, the 11-test Kiwi put pen to paper with the Warriors on a one-year contract extension, which will keep him in Auckland until the end of next season.
‘‘He’s very good. The operation was a success and better than expected,’’ Sharrock said.
‘‘He’s now got his head around the disappointment of being out for the rest of the year and he’s focused on getting himself together for 2013.
‘‘He has never, ever even thought of kicking it (his career) to touch.’’
Like Ropati, former Warriors star Brent Tate has been plagued by injury in recent years.
But last Wednesday, the North Queensland Cowboys centre, who has had three knee reconstructions, starred for the Maroons during their State of Origin win over New South Wales.
‘‘As we saw with Brent Tate on Wednesday night – a guy who has had three knee reconstructions – you can come back from injury,’’ Sharrock added.
‘‘Jerome’s latest surgery is nothing like a knee reconstruction, just to make that clear.
‘‘It’s nowhere near as bad as an ACL (anterior cruciate ligament). He’s had his knee mended and it was just a freak injury.
‘‘Jerome will be back in six months and ready to go.’’
Warriors coach Brian Mcclennan said the prospect of another lengthy stint on the sidelines would be hard for Ropati to stomach. But he scoffed at theidea the longest-serving current Warriors would even contemplate an early retirement.
‘‘Everybody is obviously concerned for him and the fact that he has to go through the pain of rehabilitation again,’’ Mcclennan said.
‘‘We were really happy to see him come in and see his smiling face on Monday. I know he was putting on a brave front because it’s bloody hard going through what he has to go through.
‘‘But at the end of the day, that’s the business we’re in.
‘‘I can’t see it (retirement) happening. I can’t answer some- thing that I don’t think will even really happen. If that were to happen, we would sit down and talk about it then. But I don’t see it happening.’’
Warriors CEO Wayne Scurrah said the club was committed to honouring Ropati’s recent contract extension.
‘‘He’s 100 per cent secure. We are gutted for him and the team that he’s injured but we’re looking forward to having him rejoin us in the pre-season with the rest of the squad in 2013,’’ Scurrah said.
‘‘I’ve had a personal discussion with him about the injury itself but certainly we’ve had no discussions about anything contractual.’’