injuryupdate
06-04-2005, 04:23 PM
Good article from the Courier-Mail. Voss and Webcke are two of the highest profile players in the country, but definitely not the only two with degenerative knee problems:
TWO knees are the creaking hinges of the football seasons of Brisbane's Broncos and Lions.
Broncos prop Shane Webcke and Lions captain Michael Voss, the owners of the knees that have come into question, say they are confident they will be able to play the season out with their clubs.
Voss, 29, said he was confident the knee tendonitis he had suffered for most of the past three years would not prevent him completing his Lions contract, which expires at the end of 2007.
Webcke, 30, announced his retirement from representing Queensland and Australia on Monday, and happily concedes he will retire during the next two years if pain from a persistent torn knee cartilage endangers his future capability to work on his farm near Leyburn, on the Darling Downs.
"Our paths have never crossed because league and AFL move in different circles in this town," Webcke said.
"I'd be sure to ask him about how he maintains his knee if ever I see him, but we are surrounded by medical experts at clubs these days."
Webcke tore a ligament behind his right kneecap in 1996 and needed arthroscopy last September between finals matches for the Broncos before he undertook a draining Tri-Series tour for Australia.
"If I can be told by a doctor what I'm doing is not going to be hideously detrimental to my life after footy, I'm happy to finish," Webcke said.
"Conversely, if a doctor says differently, I'll stop, as much as I love playing. I'm from the land and I want to live a physical lifestyle on the farm.
"It's possible I can breeze through the next two seasons of my Broncos contract and the chances are better now that I'm not playing rep football because it is playing games, not training, which is the problem.
"When your knee is past 90 degrees, it's where it hurts and where the damage is done - when you push off with a lot of pressure on your knee or go into a squat.
"Functionally my knee is very good. I have no cartilage on most of the upper side of my kneecap. It rubs bone-on-bone.
"It's quite manageable, but it could turn nasty quickly."
Voss will play his 250th AFL game in Brisbane's Gabba match against Sydney on Saturday night and the skipper of three Lions premiership teams said he planned to relinquish the captaincy after the 2006 season.
"It determines on the injury and my form and how (Lions coach) Leigh Matthews sees it," Voss said.
"I have to make the assessment: Am I still durable (enough) to be a good player every game or can I play every game?"
The Lions skipper can only cure his knee tendonitis by rest and he has had "clean-up" surgery in June, 2003 and at the end of last season.
While Voss often misses Lions training to work on fitness and skills away from his teammates to minimise wear and tear on his knee, Webcke says he is able to train at almost Broncos session in a game when the knees and ankles players twist many times a game when they are tackled.
"It hurts me after games, but generally I train with no particular discomfort," Webcke said
TWO knees are the creaking hinges of the football seasons of Brisbane's Broncos and Lions.
Broncos prop Shane Webcke and Lions captain Michael Voss, the owners of the knees that have come into question, say they are confident they will be able to play the season out with their clubs.
Voss, 29, said he was confident the knee tendonitis he had suffered for most of the past three years would not prevent him completing his Lions contract, which expires at the end of 2007.
Webcke, 30, announced his retirement from representing Queensland and Australia on Monday, and happily concedes he will retire during the next two years if pain from a persistent torn knee cartilage endangers his future capability to work on his farm near Leyburn, on the Darling Downs.
"Our paths have never crossed because league and AFL move in different circles in this town," Webcke said.
"I'd be sure to ask him about how he maintains his knee if ever I see him, but we are surrounded by medical experts at clubs these days."
Webcke tore a ligament behind his right kneecap in 1996 and needed arthroscopy last September between finals matches for the Broncos before he undertook a draining Tri-Series tour for Australia.
"If I can be told by a doctor what I'm doing is not going to be hideously detrimental to my life after footy, I'm happy to finish," Webcke said.
"Conversely, if a doctor says differently, I'll stop, as much as I love playing. I'm from the land and I want to live a physical lifestyle on the farm.
"It's possible I can breeze through the next two seasons of my Broncos contract and the chances are better now that I'm not playing rep football because it is playing games, not training, which is the problem.
"When your knee is past 90 degrees, it's where it hurts and where the damage is done - when you push off with a lot of pressure on your knee or go into a squat.
"Functionally my knee is very good. I have no cartilage on most of the upper side of my kneecap. It rubs bone-on-bone.
"It's quite manageable, but it could turn nasty quickly."
Voss will play his 250th AFL game in Brisbane's Gabba match against Sydney on Saturday night and the skipper of three Lions premiership teams said he planned to relinquish the captaincy after the 2006 season.
"It determines on the injury and my form and how (Lions coach) Leigh Matthews sees it," Voss said.
"I have to make the assessment: Am I still durable (enough) to be a good player every game or can I play every game?"
The Lions skipper can only cure his knee tendonitis by rest and he has had "clean-up" surgery in June, 2003 and at the end of last season.
While Voss often misses Lions training to work on fitness and skills away from his teammates to minimise wear and tear on his knee, Webcke says he is able to train at almost Broncos session in a game when the knees and ankles players twist many times a game when they are tackled.
"It hurts me after games, but generally I train with no particular discomfort," Webcke said