Salopek dislocated his shoulder in Port Adelaide’s round 10 loss to Richmond, but returned to the field and was able to take his place in the side for the club’s clash with Hawthorn the following week.
He got through the game against Hawthorn unscathed, but his shoulder popped out against the Sydney Swans in round 12, prompting speculation from coach Mark Williams that the 25-year-old’s season was over.
After being told there was no quick fix to repair the loose joint, Salopek opted to play on.
“After I did my shoulder [against Richmond] I asked the doctors if there was any new LARS-style surgery for shoulders," Salopek said.
"I thought they’re doing it for knees so surely they’re doing it for shoulders, but they’re not.
“It’s basically a six-month injury, so if I had the reconstruction done now I’d be out for the season…there’s no point.”
Salopek is no stranger to shoulder problems, having three operations on his shoulder, including one at the end of the last season.
He dislocated his shoulder against North Melbourne in round seven last year and made the same decision to play with the injury, but struggled for confidence and form and was eventually sent back to SANFL club Glenelg.
He said he was working closely with leadership coach Jan Stirling and long-time mentor Jenny Williams to ensure he is better prepared to mentally cope with the injury this time around.
“I experienced it [the same shoulder injury] last year, so I’ve automatically got a bit of a head start," Salopek said. "Last year I had a lot of groin problems too… I lost a bit of confidence, so it wasn’t a great year for me.
“I’m doing a fair bit of work with Jenny and Jan to help me prepare mentally for what’s going to happen, what could happen and how I deal with it if it my shoulder pops out again. It’s about getting out there and visualising the fact that it’s not going to happen again and playing like it never happened at all.
“There are lots of little things to think about, but if the footy is there to be won I’m always going to put my head over the ball and go for it.”
Salopek sat out Port Adelaide’s loss to North Melbourne prior to the mid-season break, but is poised to make his return against Fremantle at Subiaco on Saturday.
Both times Salopek’s shoulder has dislocated as a result of crunching tackles and he said he was prepared should someone test out his shoulder with a bump in the west this weekend.
“Last year my shoulder came out a couple of times after I did it, so if it comes out twice for the rest of the year I’ll be pretty happy," he said.
"I’ll have to get it re-assessed again at the end of the season and get a reconstruction or some other radical surgery if there is one that can hopefully put it in place for the rest of my life."
