Brown looks on bright side of life
29 May 2005
Sunday Herald Sun
Jon Ralph and Scot Palmer
"THANK God I'm not dead," . . . that was a shattered Nathan Brown's first reaction as he reached the rooms after suffering his season-ending injury on Friday night.
Brown had surgery early yesterday after snapping the fibula and tibia bones in a horrific collision with Melbourne's Matthew Whelan.
Soon after the incident Brown told Tiger coach Terry Wallace's right-hand man Oberon Pirak he was trying to remain positive.
"Nathan was terrific – as I grabbed his hand I heard him say, `Thank God I'm not dead . . . that's the most important thing'," Pirak said.
"He's always a pretty confident type of fellow."
Brown will remain in hospital until mid-week after successful surgery on his broken right leg at Kew's Vimy House yesterday.
He had a 40cm long rod inserted in the weight-bearing tibia bone, while his fibia was re-aligned.
Tiger surgeon Hayden Morris successfully completed the surgery at 6.30am, with Brown already ruled out for the rest of the year.
Doctors yesterday said the procedure was to stop the bone from moving sideways. In addition, two cross-bolts were inserted as part of the internal fixation method to stop the rod from moving vertically.
After leaving hospital, Brown will have to make sure weight is not put on the leg.
"He is in hospital for a few days to ensure there is no infection and that rules him out for the rest of the year," said Richmond football manager Paul Armstrong.
He said the club had not even considered a return date for Brown.
"All we are concerned about is getting him right, but you wouldn't expect to get him back before the end of the season," he said.
Richmond deputy vice-captain Joel Bowden says the Tigers need to use Brown's injury as the catalyst for a return to form.
Bowden said that while the Tigers were shattered by Brown's injury, they could not afford to use it as an excuse to let their season tail off into mediocrity.
"It might even be the jolt that we need to make sure we really train hard, we work on everything and we put it into place because if you ever think you are going to go out and win, you lose," he said.
"It was a disappointing night, but the true test of the club will be the next couple of weeks."
While coming up against West Coast at the MCG on Saturday without Brown will test the Tigers, their draw sees them in Melbourne for the next six weeks.
After the Eagles, they play the Kangaroos (Telstra Dome), Adelaide (Telstra Dome), Sydney (MCG), Essendon (MCG) and St Kilda (MCG).
Bowden flagged No. 1 draft pick Brett Deledio as a possible replacement for Brown in a forward line set-up that should include Greg Stafford next week.
"Hopefully, a couple of the other small forwards can start kicking multiple goals like he has been doing," he said.
"Brett Deledio will probably get a chance down there and Andrew Krakouer will have a more prominent role.
"I don't believe (that) in footy one player makes the team. Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal took the Lakers to three championships, but in footy it's different.
"Obviously, Browny is very, very talented and has all the smarts on the field, so we will just have to make sure in the next few weeks we structure our side a little differently."
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/footy/common/story_page/0,8033,15438018%255E19771,00.html
