Tiger Nathan Foley set to emerge from darkness * Sam Edmund
* From: Herald Sun
* March 20, 2011 11:28PMIT'S the stat that causes Nathan Foley to shift uneasily in his seat.
Reminded that he has featured in only four of Richmond's past 30 matches, Foley says: "Yeah, it's been frustrating. Incredibly frustrating."
Such has been the extent of Foley's two-year, setback-riddled injury nightmare that the specific problems have been lost somewhat in the aftermath.
But as the midfielder stands on the cusp of a long-awaited comeback, it's important to chart the long and challenging road he's travelled to return to the game.
Foley hurt his right ankle in the last NAB Cup game of 2009, but played on before it eventually gave way in the Round 14 loss to Adelaide on the Gold Coast.
Reconstructive surgery ruled him out for the rest of the year, but things took a turn for the worse that summer when a return to training brought soreness in his right achilles.
Foley had arthroscopic surgery to remove scar tissue from the medial side of that achilles in February last year, delaying his senior return until Round 5.
But just when the midfielder was telling club officials he was feeling the best he had for some time, it went pear-shaped in just his fourth game back -- the team's Round 9 loss to Essendon at the MCG.
Foley had pain in the lateral side of his achilles and was booked in for a third, and more extensive, round of surgery to clean out the joint and eliminate friction. He missed the rest of the season.
Foley is a diligent, meticulous footballer who has gone from a life of certainty to one of frustrating unpredictability.
The 25-year-old had previously not experienced a significant injury of any kind, be it in the little league, juniors at Colac or TAC Cup with Geelong Falcons. Travelling to hell and back has demanded a huge mental adjustment.
"Being injured is one thing, but having setbacks while you're injured is when you're really tested," Foley said.
"There were certainly some tough times. Mentally, it's been pretty difficult."
Richmond elite performance manager Matthew Hornsby said Foley's injuries were unpredictable and unusual.
"Unfortunately one of the associated risks with surgery to that part of the body is you get general deconditioning, and there's no doubt that ankle injury contributed to the achilles tendinopathy that he subsequently suffered," Hornsby said.
As the setbacks and failed treatments piled up, the negative thoughts started to permeate the mind of a once-confident Tiger.
"To go through such long periods of time without seeing much improvement gets difficult," Foley said.
"I suppose those thoughts start to creep in and you wonder if it's going to be a chronic injury.
"The whole time the medical and fitness staff assured me it wouldn't be, but when you're living with it 24 hours a day there's no doubt that can sneak in.
"I suppose the hardest thing is when you get asked the question (when are you back?) and you're not sure.
"With an injury like this, compared to a hamstring, it's hard to put a time frame on it, and knowing you couldn't give a particular date was hard."
Overseas treatments were explored and tendon specialists consulted. At the height of the hopelessness, Foley went to Google.
"Most blokes would do that when nothing is working, but at the end of the day the medical staff and fitness staff got me back," he said.
Hornsby said: "When you've got an injury like this you do tend to look at all different avenues and I know our medical staff are excellent like that. They certainly don't act like they know it all."
Asked to nominate the last game he played that he was happy with, Foley took some time to answer.
"Oh, gee, while it wasn't a fantastic game or anything, I played four games last season and got to the point against Hawthorn (24 disposals, six marks, five tackles) where I felt I contributed to the team," he said.
Then came the Round 9 heartbreak against the Bombers. "It was funny. Prior to the Essendon game it was the best I'd felt for a long time and I was just starting to think I was over it," Foley said.
"Then, just before halftime, and there was no incident, I started to run and I thought, 'I can feel it again'. I played out the game, had the following week off and thought it would go back to normal.
"But, as it turned out, it just didn't. It was tough."
Foley spent a chunk of his summer break in the Punt Rd gym pouring more time and effort into a rehab program he admits can be a lonely place. "That's one of the things you miss the most -- just being around the boys and just training," he said.
"It even gets to the point where your weights programs can be quite specific so you don't even get to do weights with the main group at times.
"But all my teammates were fantastic. They acknowledge how hard it can be in rehab, so they make an effort to get around you."
Foley has been in full training since Christmas. He sat out Richmond's NAB Cup games against Carlton and Collingwood, but played the three practice matches against Port Adelaide, Hawthorn and Adelaide and performed better in each one.
There remain compromises. He still doesn't train two days in a row -- it's safer that way.
Coach Damien Hardwick said Foley shaped up as one of the top "recruits" of the off-season.
"He's effectively a first-round draft pick. He played for Victoria, he's a fantastic player and we can't wait to get him back," Hardwick said. "He's such a quality player, part of our leadership group and a guy we're expecting huge things from this year."
Foley is excited on two fronts. Thrilled that he will run out with his teammates against Carlton on Thursday night for only the fifth time in 31 games and also because he can't wait to join a midfield he has watched develop.
"We're definitely hoping to improve and get a better result than last year," he said.
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