Naughton requires knee surgery

Naughton requires knee surgery

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The Western Bulldogs won't rush in trying to get Aaron Naughton ready for round one after the exciting forward was booked for surgery on his right knee to clean up loose cartilage.

The operation, on the opposite knee to the one Naughton injured in last year's elimination final against Greater Western Sydney, will occur on Saturday. The Bulldogs will be in a better position to assess how long he will be sidelined once surgery is completed.

It is a blow for the Bulldogs on the eve of the season, with the 20-year-old set to play a key role up forward after an impressive start to his career in the past two seasons. Coach Luke Beveridge remains hopeful he could play in the round one blockbuster against Collingwood.

"We won't push him to be ready for round one," Beveridge said.

"If he has the arthroscope and he comes up cherry ripe in two weeks then we'll probably pick him, but there is any doubt and he has got a bit of swelling and it is going to take a couple of more weeks then we will be conservative."

Naughton dodged a bullet when he went down with what looked like a serious knee injury against the Giants last September but he was relieved to be diagnosed with a lateral ligament injury rather than a season-ending anterior crucial ligament injury.

He took part in match practice last Wednesday and was set to play against North Melbourne at Marvel Stadium on Friday night but felt clicking in his knee when he returned home on Thursday.

Naughton has played 41 games with the Bulldogs and kicked 32 goals in 2019 as a key forward earning a reputation as a brilliant mark.

Minor surgery , not surprising you do a little damage to the opposite knee as you have tended to put more weight and usage on it while the other knee mends.
Good to do it now.

The bigger issue is that knee cartilage can become a longer term degenerative condition that might limit his ability in the same way it did with Cooney years ago, although Conney's injury also included a cracked patella.

Terrible news for the big boy but hopefully he makes a speedy recovery. Astro has experienced some highs and lows in the last 12 months.

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Originally Posted by Stevo

Terrible news for the big boy but hopefully he makes a speedy recovery. Astro has experienced some highs and lows in the last 12 months.

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Any news on how long he may be out for?

He's going under the knife today. Once in there they'll be able to assess what the damage is and then we'll have a much better idea about how long he might be out for.

Great pity. I hope it can be mended well and permanently.

A setback but best not to rush him back until he is fully 100% ready to go.

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Originally Posted by Eastdog

A setback but best not to rush him back until he is fully 100% ready to go.

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Yep, they will be in no hurry to rush him. We have traditionally been a cautious club with managing player injuries and I'd imagine we will double that approach with Naughton

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Originally Posted by divvydan

The bigger issue is that knee cartilage can become a longer term degenerative condition that might limit his ability in the same way it did with Cooney years ago, although Conney's injury also included a cracked patella.

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I can’t remember where I heard it, maybe a podcast in which Cooney was interviewed, But he stated that the cartilage under his patella had been torn. That is considerably worse than your regular meniscus tear as it is the articulating cartilage that wears away creating friction with any movement of the knee. I would argue most players retire with torn meniscus, some symptomatic and some asymptomatic. With todays rehab and physio programs I wouldnt worry too much unless it accompanied an acl x 2 or if he had repeated issues reported in the media.

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Originally Posted by Funke disco

I can’t remember where I heard it, maybe a podcast in which Cooney was interviewed, But he stated that the cartilage under his patella had been torn. That is considerably worse than your regular meniscus tear as it is the articulating cartilage that wears away creating friction with any movement of the knee. I would argue most players retire with torn meniscus, some symptomatic and some asymptomatic. With todays rehab and physio programs I wouldnt worry too much unless it accompanied an acl x 2 or if he had repeated issues reported in the media.

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Poor Cooney sufffered his at 22 and he will tell you how he struggled from then on, the guy would have been a superstar if that didn’t happen.

Club reporting that surgery was a success and Naughton is going to be ready for round 1

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Originally Posted by Vred

Club reporting that surgery was a success and Naughton is going to be ready for round 1

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Yes, it was reported earlier on here, Great news for both Naughton and the club

Naughton