Twenty more training sessions stand between Will Arthurson and a long-awaited return to football in his beloved navy blue Berwick jumper.
His comeback will mark the conclusion of two preseasons and 12 months of meticulous rehabilitation after rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee at the tail end of the Wickers’ preseason camp in 2024.
It’s the sort of injury that can ruin local football careers and strike fear and anxiety down the line when executing the same biomechanical movements that triggered the rupture in the first place.
Arthurson, however, has not let the diagnosis defeat him.
”I’ve broken my arm early in my career and a few broken thumbs, so I’m not too shy of the sidelines,” the defender said.
“I was at most training sessions and every game as well, helping the backline whenever I could.
”Another teammate of mine, Andrew Morozoff did his knee so we were able to lean on each other and see where we were both at in terms of our recovery, who’s doing what and that sort of thing.
“It was hard because you do feel out of it, but (it was) nothing too crazy.”
A well-respected leader and captain of the Wickers prior to his injury, Arthurson turned his attention to mentoring the young emerging crop of Wickers learning on the fly at senior level.
He described his fortune as a case of ‘bad timing’ rather than bad luck, and saw the benefits of those who stepped up to fill his place, as his side narrowly avoided relegation to the Eastern Football Netball League’s second division in Clint Evans’ final year at the helm.
Running defender Caleb van Oostveen was named in the Premier Division Team of the Year, while others now have a far greater understanding of what’s required at senior level.
“(2024) was a tough watch but in the end it was a blessing because you had a few young blokes that got to play a few more senior games – Cooper Clarke, Blake Westra, two young guys in the backline that got to play nearly every game and that’s 18 valuable senior games under their belt,” he said.
“It was tough, those 15-20 minutes is what killed us in most games, that late third quarter/early fourth quarter surges from other teams killed us.
“We’ve been in the league for roughly five years now just surviving; I think for the playing group and all the coaches and people behind the scenes, it’s time to, in a sense, pull our finger out and start playing the footy that’s up to the premier division standard.”
With the last boxes in his recovery checklist still unchecked, Arthurson has ruled himself out of the Wickers’ practice games, and is yet to return to full contact training, but knows he is on the brink of a special return.
East Doncaster will be a big ask in round 1 on 12 April, but for Arthurson, there will be more than four points at stake.
“During the rehab I’ve done that movement (that caused the injury), a quick sidestep and it’s felt good,” he said.
“It’s definitely a thought in the back of your mind when I’m back fully playing, like that quick change of direction and jag to one side, but I think that’s pretty normal coming back from a knee injury, especially if that’s the way you did it.
“I’ve just got to trust what everyone’s telling me and the physio is telling me and how I’m feeling, which is good.
“I’m still ticking some more boxes off in terms of pushing off, changing direction, but I’ve had no setbacks so far, which is good.
“I’m definitely confident that what I’m doing and what I’ve done will hold me in good stead to hopefully play and have a good year.
“There’s 20 more sessions until round one, that was the count at training last night; it doesn’t sound like a long time and it’s slowly creeping up, which is exciting.”
