Raines hopeful despite surgery
richmondfc.com.au
By Ben Broad | Mon 30 March, 2009
RICHMOND hopes Andrew Raines will be back playing football in a month despite the defender requiring surgery to the knee he injured in the Tigers’ round one loss to Carlton.
Raines tore the lateral meniscus in his left knee – the same knee he dislocated in 2008 – last Thursday night just minutes after prized recruit Ben Cousins had limped from the field with a hamstring injury.
Tigers football manager Ross Monaghan said both men were likely to be sidelined for about a month although it was still early days with Raines.
“He had surgery Friday afternoon,” Monaghan told richmondfc.com.au.
“It’s anticipated at this stage that it’s probably four weeks before he’s back playing again.
“He’s come out of surgery pretty well … it’s always difficult to predict and it’s only a few days after surgery.
“It’s got to settle down and [we’ll] see how things pan out but the anticipation from the surgeons is three to four weeks.
“But that can vary a bit, depending on a whole range of factors.”
Monaghan said one thing in the 23-year-old’s favour was the fact that while on the same leg, his latest setback was unrelated to his other injury.
Cousins, who suffered a grade one hamstring strain, is also set to miss up to a month.
Richmond’s only other main injury concern surrounds former skipper Kane Johnson.
He is still facing several weeks on the sidelines with a knee injury.
This weekend the Tigers travel down the Princes Highway to Geelong to take on the Cats.
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