injuryupdate
21-07-2004, 10:31 PM
It may save time for the front page of this site to have a permanent photo of James Hird coming off on a Medicab and just rotate the diagnosis. Just as the man is blessed with being one of the most talented football players of his generation, he seems cursed with injury (and unusual injuries at that). Hird wasn't drafted until no. 79 in the 1990 national draft, which is one of the great draft bargains of all time (perhaps the greatest). Ironically it was because he had missed a lot of junior football with injury that he was virtually unknown to most of the scouts. His injury résumé includes recurrent navicular stress fractures (which almost led to his retirement), a severe facial fracture, plenty of hamstring strains, calf strains and an eye hyphema. The latest injury is a broken rib, plus or minus a lung contusion, depending on who at Essendon you choose to believe. Read more at real footy. Hird is analogous to Andrew Johns in rugby league, who has guided the Knights to two Premierships (like Hird) but who would have probably contributed to some more Grand final wins if it weren't for the regular intervention of injury.