Naitanui on track for pre-season AFL games
Dec 13, 2017 - 4:31 AM West Coast ruckman Nic Naitanui insists he's on track to play during the AFL pre-season despite undergoing a minor procedure on his reconstructed left knee.Naitanui underwent an arthroscope in October to trim cartilage that had been causing him some discomfort at training.
Rumours started to circulate that the 27-year-old had suffered a more-serious setback in his bid to return from a knee reconstruction.
But Naitanui brushed off the speculation, saying he would resume full training on Monday.
"I could train fully right at the moment," Naitanui told reporters on Wednesday.
"I'm just taking it pretty easy at the moment. I had a pretty solid build-up into the off-season so my downtime is now. I trained throughout the break as well.
"For me, this is my lower sessions and I'll build up again as of next week and work through the Christmas period.
"I'll do everything. There's nothing I won't do. That means getting back into time trials and doing everything. It was never injuries or soreness. It was just a fact of loading."
West Coast have just two pre-season games.
They take on Port Adelaide on February 25 in Perth, before facing Fremantle on March 11.
Naitanui is champing at the bit to play in at least one of those.
And he said the talk of his "setback" was wide of the mark.
"That's just Perth. Rumours spread. I think I'm going to be hearing that the rest of my career, that I've had a setback," Naitanui said.
"I feel really good. I'm back running, training and kicking goals, doing what I do. As of Monday, once I'm in full training, that'll probably put some of that stuff to rest.
"That clean-up I had in the off-season was just something I saw an opportunity to do. I didn't have to get it done but I thought I might as well while I had the opportunity.
"I was back running the week after. It was one of those things that, if it was during the season, you would miss a week of footy and then be back the next week."
Source: AAP
No one has shouted yet.
Be the first!
Be the first!
Related News
- Eagle Jetta suffers calf setback in AFL Dec 20
- Eagles re-sign Yeo until 2023 AFL season Dec 15
- Eagles take a leaf from small AFL Tigers Dec 5
- Shannon Hurn keen to keep Eagles captaincy Dec 4
- Naitanui hits track for West Coast Eagles Nov 20
- Delisted Eagle to seek new AFL home Oct 26
- Eagles pair go round again in AFL Sep 20
- AFL Eagles looking to get fitter for 2018 Sep 17
- Eagle LeCras urged to knuckle down in AFL Sep 17
- Emotional Eagles farewell retired AFL guns Sep 16
- Vardy emerges as AFL Eagles' ruck saviour Sep 15