Axe Man
12-02-2016, 10:56 AM
Tom Liberatore is raring to go in Western Bulldogs intra-club game (http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/tom-liberatore-is-raring-to-go-in-western-bulldogs-intraclub-game/news-story/3e60e07cbca79c07fa7b0ebd0688e949#load-story-comments)
http://s15.postimg.org/7x01dpjgb/Tom_Libba.jpg (http://postimage.org/)
TOM Liberatore’s recovery from a knee reconstruction will take a leap forward on Saturday when the gun midfielder plays his first game in nearly a year.
Liberatore will feature in a four-quarter Western Bulldogs intra-club match at Whitten Oval — 11½ months since suffering the crippling injury in a pre-season game at the same ground.
The Dogs’ 2014 best-and-fairest and the AFL’s best clearance and tackling player before his injury, Liberatore is on track to join an elite midfield before the club’s Round 1 clash against Fremantle.
“You forget the type of player we were missing last year and how valuable he’s going to be this year,” Bulldogs midfield coach Steven King said.
“We’re in the fortunate position now where we’ve added experience and depth to our midfield and now we get a best-and-fairest winner back.
“We know how much he loves the game and loves competing so he’s going to be fantastic for us.”
Liberatore was sanctioned by the club for a lack of professionalism in his rehab halfway through last year.
Dogs officials then banned him from travelling to Europe with non-football mates, instead diverting him to Thailand to further his knee recovery.
But King said the 23-year-old had turned the corner.
“He’s definitely been better. I think when something is so far away like a return to the game you do lose a bit of focus,” he said.
“But since he joined in for pre-season in November you could tell he was hungry and he hasn’t missed a beat with his rehab.
“The best thing for ‘Libba’ has been coming back, joining in, getting through unscathed and going for it with the boys and being part of the main group again.
“You never take your career for granted, but I’m sure now he realises you’ve got to put runs on the board while you can and I’m sure he’s hungry to do that as well.”
Any return to match simulation sparks nerves, but the timing of Liberatore’s injury has ensured a steady and methodical comeback.
“There was no real possibility of him coming back last year ... so it was about engaging with Tom to keep him patient and driven,” King said.
“He’s got all his strength back, he’s undergone a lot of biomechanical checks and he’s ticked that off,” King said.
“It’s been more about, ‘Do we hold him back?’ and, ‘When do we throw him into full contact?’
“Although we’re not expecting him to come back and be the Libba of old straight away ... it’s going to be great to see him back out there.”
http://s15.postimg.org/7x01dpjgb/Tom_Libba.jpg (http://postimage.org/)
TOM Liberatore’s recovery from a knee reconstruction will take a leap forward on Saturday when the gun midfielder plays his first game in nearly a year.
Liberatore will feature in a four-quarter Western Bulldogs intra-club match at Whitten Oval — 11½ months since suffering the crippling injury in a pre-season game at the same ground.
The Dogs’ 2014 best-and-fairest and the AFL’s best clearance and tackling player before his injury, Liberatore is on track to join an elite midfield before the club’s Round 1 clash against Fremantle.
“You forget the type of player we were missing last year and how valuable he’s going to be this year,” Bulldogs midfield coach Steven King said.
“We’re in the fortunate position now where we’ve added experience and depth to our midfield and now we get a best-and-fairest winner back.
“We know how much he loves the game and loves competing so he’s going to be fantastic for us.”
Liberatore was sanctioned by the club for a lack of professionalism in his rehab halfway through last year.
Dogs officials then banned him from travelling to Europe with non-football mates, instead diverting him to Thailand to further his knee recovery.
But King said the 23-year-old had turned the corner.
“He’s definitely been better. I think when something is so far away like a return to the game you do lose a bit of focus,” he said.
“But since he joined in for pre-season in November you could tell he was hungry and he hasn’t missed a beat with his rehab.
“The best thing for ‘Libba’ has been coming back, joining in, getting through unscathed and going for it with the boys and being part of the main group again.
“You never take your career for granted, but I’m sure now he realises you’ve got to put runs on the board while you can and I’m sure he’s hungry to do that as well.”
Any return to match simulation sparks nerves, but the timing of Liberatore’s injury has ensured a steady and methodical comeback.
“There was no real possibility of him coming back last year ... so it was about engaging with Tom to keep him patient and driven,” King said.
“He’s got all his strength back, he’s undergone a lot of biomechanical checks and he’s ticked that off,” King said.
“It’s been more about, ‘Do we hold him back?’ and, ‘When do we throw him into full contact?’
“Although we’re not expecting him to come back and be the Libba of old straight away ... it’s going to be great to see him back out there.”