“Everyone goes through it at this time of year. It’s a tough game. They put themselves through the wringer. We try to look after them as best we can through the week. They understand sometimes they have to play hurt; they turn up for their teammates and club, and playing under duress is part of our game, particularly at this time of the year. I’m proud of all the lads.”
Dragons coach Shane Flanagan feared the worst when watching the game, but was relieved after speaking with his star recruit first thing Saturday.
“Val’s toughness is something that goes unnoticed,” Flanagan said. “He’s not the biggest body, but he played well and truly above his weight. Friday night he showed that mental toughness to play injured.
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“I’m just glad it’s nothing worse. At least he gets a spell and won’t play in the rep teams, you’d think.
“I knew it was an impact injury when watching the game. Usually ACLs aren’t impact injuries – they happen when there’s nobody around. Then they mentioned achilles [on the TV commentary], so some bad thoughts went through my head.
“All our staff were saying it may have been a fracture to the fibula. They were straight on to it.
“I spoke to him this morning. He said he was walking around OK; he was in a boot, but he wouldn’t know the full extent until he has scans back in Townsville.”
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