Geelong superstar Patrick Dangerfield has embarked on an impromptu flight to Sydney in a desperate bid to avoid surgery on a serious ankle injury.
Dangerfield jetted north on Tuesday to meet with a second specialist after he suffered a syndesmosis tear late in the third quarter of Sunday’s win over North Melbourne.
The Cats’ medical team are this morning wrestling with whether to send the Brownlow medallist in for surgery – sidelining him for up to two months – or forging ahead.
Dangerfield was involved in a collision with North Melbourne’s Kyron Hayden just before three-quarter time at GMHBA Stadium, with the rugged Cats midfielder describing the injury to his right ankle as a “minor tweak” post-match.
Geelong coach Chris Scott also said the Cats didn’t want to sub out their vice-captain given the rules state that a substitution should equate to a minimum 12-day injury.
“Our best guess (was) that he’ll be right for next week so we shouldn’t sub him out of the game,” Scott said.
An initial consultation with specialists was also encouraging, but scans later showed damage to the syndesmosis joint and the probability of surgery.
It was hoped the day flight to Sydney would provide a more positive diagnosis, but it’s understood Dangerfield and the Cats were given a similar verdict.
The club has a big decision to make this morning, with the debate centering on how much “play” there is in the syndesmosis – the joint between the tibia and the fibula.
Dangerfield played on briefly in the last quarter of Sunday’s game against the Kangaroos, even taking a contested mark close to goal before handballing to Gary Rohan for the shot and later sitting out the game.
Dangerfield was only playing his first game after serving a three-week suspension for his bump on Adelaide’s Jake Kelly in Round 1.
The three-week absence was the longest stretch of football the eight-time All-Australian has missed since establishing himself as a regular starter for Adelaide in 2009.