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ADAM Cooney has recovered well from his first major hit-out in two months and is primed to finish the season strongly against the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba, says Western Bulldogs coach Brendan McCartney.
It's an exciting turn of events for Bulldogs fans, who have feared the worst for their 26-year-old champion as he battles a degenerative knee problem.
Cooney's career has appeared in doubt for much of the season, and those doubts only intensified in recent weeks.
The Brownlow medallist missed six games (rounds 15-20) before returning to play little more than a quarter (33 per cent game time) as a substitute in the round 21 loss to the Sydney Swans. The cameo appearance - in which Cooney had six possessions - seemed to prove little.
In contrast, his performance in a losing side at Geelong on Sunday appeared to prove infinitely more.
In 83 per cent game time, most of it spent in the midfield, Cooney amassed season-highs in disposals (28) and inside 50s (six). He also slotted a trademark running goal from outside 50.
In many ways Cooney was back to his brilliant former self: he was quick, elusive, fluent and purposeful.
The effort won't completely silence the doubters - only sustained performance will do that - but it went a long way to suggest Cooney can be a meaningful contributor in the Bulldogs' rebirth.
A perhaps fanciful view is that it might well be viewed as the day Cooney underwent his own rebirth.
The alternate view is that it could just as easily prove a false dawn, with Cooney's knee only allowing him to produce something resembling his best every so often, and not for several weeks in succession.
Even McCartney suggested post-match on Sunday that the forgiving surface at Simonds Stadium would have been more to Cooney's liking. More pointedly, the Bulldogs play their home matches at Etihad Stadium, which is notoriously hard on the leg joints.
Nonetheless, it was heartening to hear McCartney speak in positive tones about Cooney's fitness and his importance to the Bulldogs.
"He helped our ball movement, there's no doubt about that. He's so creative and he doesn’t worry about what's happening in the game; he does things instinctively with the ball," McCartney said at Whitten Oval on Tuesday.
"He added to the group and helped a couple of young players who were able to get the ball to him and he was able to carry it to a more dangerous spot."
During Cooney's lay-off, some suggested the Bulldogs should put him out to pasture for the rest of the season, but McCartney said his late-season return had been "very important" for both player and the club.
"We had a plan, and we outlined that plan about eight weeks ago, and we said that at no stage were we finishing the year for Adam. We wanted to give him an opportunity to maybe train a little differently and do things a little differently, with the aim to get him back and play," he said.
"He's pulled up really well from the weekend, so we're hoping for a good performance again this week."
ADAM Cooney has recovered well from his first major hit-out in two months and is primed to finish the season strongly against the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba, says Western Bulldogs coach Brendan McCartney.
It's an exciting turn of events for Bulldogs fans, who have feared the worst for their 26-year-old champion as he battles a degenerative knee problem.
Cooney's career has appeared in doubt for much of the season, and those doubts only intensified in recent weeks.
The Brownlow medallist missed six games (rounds 15-20) before returning to play little more than a quarter (33 per cent game time) as a substitute in the round 21 loss to the Sydney Swans. The cameo appearance - in which Cooney had six possessions - seemed to prove little.
In contrast, his performance in a losing side at Geelong on Sunday appeared to prove infinitely more.
In 83 per cent game time, most of it spent in the midfield, Cooney amassed season-highs in disposals (28) and inside 50s (six). He also slotted a trademark running goal from outside 50.
In many ways Cooney was back to his brilliant former self: he was quick, elusive, fluent and purposeful.
The effort won't completely silence the doubters - only sustained performance will do that - but it went a long way to suggest Cooney can be a meaningful contributor in the Bulldogs' rebirth.
A perhaps fanciful view is that it might well be viewed as the day Cooney underwent his own rebirth.
The alternate view is that it could just as easily prove a false dawn, with Cooney's knee only allowing him to produce something resembling his best every so often, and not for several weeks in succession.
Even McCartney suggested post-match on Sunday that the forgiving surface at Simonds Stadium would have been more to Cooney's liking. More pointedly, the Bulldogs play their home matches at Etihad Stadium, which is notoriously hard on the leg joints.
Nonetheless, it was heartening to hear McCartney speak in positive tones about Cooney's fitness and his importance to the Bulldogs.
"He helped our ball movement, there's no doubt about that. He's so creative and he doesn’t worry about what's happening in the game; he does things instinctively with the ball," McCartney said at Whitten Oval on Tuesday.
"He added to the group and helped a couple of young players who were able to get the ball to him and he was able to carry it to a more dangerous spot."
During Cooney's lay-off, some suggested the Bulldogs should put him out to pasture for the rest of the season, but McCartney said his late-season return had been "very important" for both player and the club.
"We had a plan, and we outlined that plan about eight weeks ago, and we said that at no stage were we finishing the year for Adam. We wanted to give him an opportunity to maybe train a little differently and do things a little differently, with the aim to get him back and play," he said.
"He's pulled up really well from the weekend, so we're hoping for a good performance again this week."
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