Knee victim Libba's advice for injured draftee

Bulldogs draftee Riley Garcia seeks advice of Tom Liberatore about returning from knee surgery
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Western Bulldogs draftee Riley Garcia has revealed he has already sought out the advice of premiership midfielder Tom Liberatore about returning from a knee reconstruction.

Arriving at Whitten Oval for the first time on Wednesday, the West Australian teenager will miss most of next season after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament at the end of this year’s under-18 national championships.

Garcia, taken at pick No. 62 by the Bulldogs in the national draft, said he had already tapped into Liberatore’s knowledge about how to best tackle his knee rehabilitation.

Liberatore has endured two reconstructions in his AFL career.

“There is a few boys — I have obviously spoken to Tom Liberatore who has done a couple of knees,” Garcia said.

“I guess their message is be patient because it is a long process and don’t rush yourself which is pretty important when you are around boys that are training every day.

“That’s the main message that I have gotten so far.

“It’s obviously still early days, I will have a meeting with the physios in the next coming days so we will sort out a plan.

“It is day-by-day, we are not putting an end date to it, every day I will be getting stronger and more into the rehab, but I guess there is no time limit.”

The Bulldogs executed a live trade of picks late in the draft to secure the midfielder from Swan Districts.

Garcia admitted doubts had crept in about his draft prospects after he injured his knee, but said he always had the belief that he was good enough to make it to the AFL.

“Initially it was pretty devastating, but I have always had the self belief that I could make it to the next level,” Garcia said.

“In the back of my mind there were days where I did question myself, but I guess that belief never changed.”

Arriving in Melbourne on Tuesday, Garcia will be living with Josh Schache and Jordan Sweet and was taken out to dinner by his new housemates on his first night.

Garcia joined fellow 2019 Bulldogs draftees, small forward Cody Weightman and defender Louis Butler at the club on Wednesday.

Weightman, who was taken at pick No. 15, said he had modelled his game on Collingwood’s Jamie Elliott but would use his new teammates as his resources now.

“Jamie Elliott stands out, but then you have Lloydy (Sam Lloyd) and Dicko (Tory Dickson) here that you have got as your resource now,” Weightman said.

“I will certainly try to learn off them and take a few leafs out of their cap and hopefully that can hold me in good stead and set me up to be my own prototype.”

Butler might have earned his ticket to the AFL, but he still has a pressing matter to attend to over the summer to make his journey to and from training easier.

“I’m staying at Ferg Greene’s house every now and then over the next couple of weeks because I live down in Brighton area,” Butler said.

“I can drive here — I’ve just got to get my licence first … I’m on about 100 hours at the moment, so I’ve got about 20 to go.

“I’ve got to get the night hours up, so I’m going with mum a few times after dinner.

“Hopefully next year I’ll have it and be able to drive to training.”

TL;DR but have those boys died their hair red, white and blue?

No, it's just the lighting, maybe from some sort of banner above them.

"I will certainly try to learn off them and take a few leafs out of their cap"

That's going into the yearbook, surely.

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Originally Posted by Mofra

"I will certainly try to learn off them and take a few leafs out of their cap"

That's going into the yearbook, surely.

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There are Facebook pages dedicated to mixed up sayings like that. They're great.

We'll burn that bridge when we get to it.

The elephant in the room never forgets.

Lightning doesn’t strike while the iron is hot.

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Originally Posted by Axe Man

There are Facebook pages dedicated to mixed up sayings like that. They're great.

We'll burn that bridge when we get to it.

The elephant in the room never forgets.

Lightning doesn’t strike while the iron is hot.

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That's an old Joh Bjeke Peterson line. I never burn my bridges until I come to them, don't you worry about that.

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Originally Posted by Twodogs

That's an old Joh Bjeke Peterson line. I never burn my bridges until I come to them, don't you worry about that.

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Funny you say that because they remind me of the Sir Joh sketches on Fast Forward.

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Originally Posted by Axe Man

Funny you say that because they remind me of the Sir Joh sketches on Fast Forward.

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Gerry Connolly was a genius impersonator.

I can still vividly remember seeing him for the first time at Le Joke in Collingwood in the '80s.

I heard one the other day: 'you catch more flies with jam than you do with honey.'

I used to collect heaps of them listening to SEN.

Now I've opened up a Pandora's floodgate of worms.

When there’s fire there’s smoke