GEELONG midfielder Sam Menegola has overcome a 'significant' knee injury and will make his football return via the VFL this weekend.
Menegola has watched the last nine games from the sidelines after suffering the injury in a marking contest against Essendon in Round 7.
“I got hit awkwardly as I was taking a mark so that was enough to stir it up,” Menegola says.
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“It didn’t feel too bad at the start, I just went off and had it checked and it wasn’t too bad and then I played the rest of the game.”
“It was more during the backend of that week that we noticed there was something maybe a little bit more serious with it.”
Assistant coach Nigel Lappin says the damage to Menegola’s knee was more substantial than the club had first realised.
“Sam had some cartilage damage in his knee which required surgery,” Lappin says.
“There was quite a significant amount of damage, more than we thought at the start so what we were hoping would be a couple week injury has turned into a nine or 10 week injury.”
Lappin has played a key role in Menegola’s injury recovery, with the duo sharing a close bond.
“We’ve always spent a lot of time together, I get on really well with him and Emma, his wife,” Lappin says.
They’re really great people and he’s one of my duty of care players so I’ve had Sam under my duty of care for a few years now and we’ve got a great relationship with him and I really enjoy working with him.”
Menegola appreciates the armada of off-field support he has in his corner.
“Being at an AFL club you’re pretty lucky you’ve got physio, a rehab coordinator and generally one of the assistant coaches who is helping you,” he says.
“Nigel has been awesome with helping me with touch and the football aspects of your rehab as well.”
“He’s good, he’s still so fit that when you get one-on-one sessions with him they’re still pretty challenging.
With the hard yards behind him, the fourth-year Cat is looking forward to getting back in on the action.
“It has sort of actually helped that the boys were winning because it made it a little bit easier not to be out there,” he says.
“Hopefully I can start to put some good footy together pretty quick.”
