DIRECTOR of High Performance Andrew Russell said that Charlie Curnow is doing everything possible in his rehabilitation from injury.
Curnow suffered an unlucky setback late in 2019 when he fractured his right patella while at home.
Speaking to media on Tuesday morning, Russell shared his praise for the way that the 23-year old had attacked his rehabilitation after what he described as a ‘unique’ injury.
“These types of injuries, we don’t see a lot. There haven’t been a lot of them in the AFL,” Russell said.
“Charlie has attacked his rehab unbelievably well. He had a surgical update this morning, so the surgeon is happy with where the joint is at and he’s happy for us to progress as we see fit.
“We won’t rush it. We won’t take risks and we won’t push the envelope on this one. We’ll do what’s right and we’ll take the time we need to get him right.”
Having completed his latest surgery, which saw stabilising wires removed from Curnow’s knee, Russell highlighted that the Club’s approach to the forward’s recovery would be measured and based on a wide range of advice.
One area that the club’s medical staff are likely to draw upon in structuring a rehabilitation plan for Curnow over the coming months is the lessons learned from co-captain Sam Docherty’s management.
Docherty visited a specialist in the United States as part of his rehabilitation program, with Russell believing that they would be able to apply many of the lessons learned from that experience.
“We sent Sam Docherty over to the US and we’ve got some great ideas from there,” he said.
“We had a physiotherapist out from Ireland do a session at the Club a couple of weeks ago on groins, ACLs, knee management — we took something from him.
“That’s our role. We take something from all the experts all around the world and then we come up with a good program specific to Charlie.”
Curnow remains in high spirits following his latest surgery and is looking to put his unlucky run with injury behind him.
Speaking highly of the attitude that Curnow has brought to his rehabilitation, Russell believes that - while each injury is unique - given the right rehabilitation and amount of time to recover, the talented forward will make a strong return to the game when the time comes.
“You add that to players that are extremely motivated and work hard: that’s the recipe we need here and that’s what we’ve got with Charlie,” Russell said
“Charlie is one of the hardest workers that I’ve ever seen on the track. We know his work rate in the game is huge and his work rate off the field is exactly the same.
“He loves training. He loves preparing and that’s what he’s doing right now. He knows he has a challenge ahead of him as do we, we’re all up for it and we’re attacking it head on and we’re comfortable with where his at.”
