FOR 36 hours after last Friday night's preliminary final win over Richmond, Collingwood defender Jeremy Howe wondered if he would be right to play in Saturday's Grand Final against West Coast.
Even until he managed to get through Thursday's training session, the high-flying backman wasn't so sure the ankle injury he sustained against the Tigers would allow him to move and twist well enough for him to take the field.
But after a week spent in the hyperbaric chamber and cryotherapy facilities (which sees an athlete step into a cold tank for seconds at a time to help aid recovery) as part of his recovery Howe is confident he will play without too much restriction.
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Howe will test the ankle out on Saturday morning and it's understood he may require a pain relieving injection to get through the game.
"Clearly yesterday (Thursday's training session) was a pretty important day to get through. I'm under no illusions that it was extremely sore after the game," Howe told AFL.com.au.
"I looked after it as much as I could early and there comes a time where you need to get it going, so that was probably Wednesday. I trained Thursday, I've got to recover again today and get it going in the morning and get some pain relief pre-game no doubt."
Howe hurt his left ankle in last Friday night's preliminary final against Richmond after he got it caught underneath him while being tackled by Daniel Rioli in the third quarter of the game.
The defender initially feared he may have broken his leg.
Howe fractured his fibula in the pre-season of 2009 before being drafted by Melbourne with pick No.33 in the 2010 NAB AFL Draft.
"The one concern was that I'd broken my leg before in that exact spot and I didn't realise what kind of movement I did, and I felt the pain in my lower leg and it felt really similar to last time," Howe said.
"Until I got the scans I was pretty concerned because there was a fair bit of time not knowing what the actual deal was.
"But once I got the X-Ray and MRI results back, I was like 'If it's just the pain threshold I can get through it.'
"Clearly I'll be a bit stiff and sore in the morning but I think I'll be fine."
"I think my leg would have had to be cut off to miss it."
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Howe's foot was placed in a moon boot for 36 hours immediately after the game to stabilise the ankle joint, with the defender detailing the lengths he has gone to make sure he's fit and raring to go against the Eagles.
"I did plenty of recovery in that aspect. Plenty of hyperbaric chamber work and cryotherapy sessions which everyone really raves about," Howe said.
"You get your little one or two per cent here or there but I wanted to tip in as much as I can. Now it's just about getting through the game and making sure I play well."
