Richmond's Brown 'underestimated injury'
The Age
November 29, 2006 - 7:48PM
Fit-again Richmond AFL star Nathan Brown believes he may have underestimated how much it would take to recover from his horrific broken leg, and may have pushed himself too hard last season.
Brown snapped both bones in his leg in mid-2005, but was back for the start of 2006 after an obviously disrupted pre-season.
It led to a disrupted year, with Brown showing glimpses of his best form but struggling to put a string of games together as he battled pain from his leg and then soft tissue injuries later in the season.
He admitted perhaps his expectations of making the miracle recovery all were hoping for led him to write cheques his body couldn't cash.
"Hindsight's a great thing and if I had my time over again, I might have taken it a bit slower," Brown said.
"But that's the course I wanted to take ... I just didn't realise how bad a break it was and how long it would take to mend.
"Once it actually mended and the bone didn't have any more cracks in it, towards the end of the season I was just underdone and had a few soft tissue injuries.
"But all that's behind me now."
This time, Brown - who has had the rod removed from his now-healed leg - has the jump on his teammates.
Entering his 11th AFL season, Brown started pre-season training while the rest of the Tigers were taking a post-2006 break.
It gave him a base as he entered what he believes is the hardest pre-season he has ever undertaken.
Tigers coach Terry Wallace said Brown was set to repay the patience of those who had been hoping he would eventually return to his best after his sickening injury.
"I said to Richmond supporters 12 months ago that it would be at least a year before we saw the best of Nathan," said Wallace.
"Well, he's training the house down. He did his best ever 20-metre sprint time a week or two ago."
http://www.theage.com.au/news/Sport/Richmonds-Brown-underestimated-injury/2006/11/29/1164777650366.html
