King’s right achilles will take a minimum of six weeks to repair, with Cats coach Mark Thompson conceding he should have been rested after sustaining the injury in round three.
“Six or eight weeks off might have been the right thing to do, but you just go on the medical advice and they were saying – if you manage him he should get over it,” Thompson said before Geelong trained on Tuesday afternoon.
“So we survived it for a while and he was playing nearly full games and we thought we were over it, but it just got worse,”
“It’s just inflamed and we’ve been trying to get him up, but it’s just not working. He just probably needs six or eight weeks rest.”
In his first year as captain, King played 13 matches. The 24 year-old has been sidelined since round 14, but only sat out one match, in round eight.
“During the year it did get to the stage, I think even on a Wednesday after a game, where I was sort of limping and really did struggle to get around,” King said on Tuesday.
“I guess there’s no prospect of us playing finals this year I think it’s the best decision just to get it right now and be ready for pre-season.”
“I did try and get up for the game against the Kangaroos a couple of weeks ago, and it sort of got the stage where it was the same as when I first had the rest.”
At one stage King slept in a foot brace in an attempt to heal the injury, and has also had pain killing injections.
Thompson said the loss of the Cats’ chief big man had been ‘tragic’ for the team. King won the club’s best-and-fairest award last year and in 2000 when he was also named in the All-Australian side.
“It’s tragic really, because we just rely on him so much. Just his work on the ground at the stoppages, it’s been an enormous loss. And really, he’s been limited in what he can do since round three, so it’s almost been there all year,” Thompson said.
“In his first year as captain I’m sure he’d want nothing more than to be out there with them, and I’m sure he feels pain every time he can’t train or play with them. And that’s expected, I think captains do put a bit of pressure on themselves to be out there and to train as hard as anyone and be a good role model.”
Peter Street and Paul Chambers will share the rucking duties for the last month of the season.
King has been frustrated, but hopes an extended rehabilitation period will have him fit for the beginning of the 2004 pre-season.
He has been restricted to a program of strengthening exercises and swimming, and is not expected to run until October. King will continue to sit in the coaches’ box on match-day.
“All I want to do now is try and remain positive about it, and use this time to get it right and try and develop leadership skills off the field.
“I’ve been up in the box the last four weeks and trying to take on a role, I’m still learning about the game and I’ve been helping out in-house I guess off the field. Hopefully I’ll develop that side of the leadership,” he said.
