SANDHURST’s reigning Michelsen medallist Kristan Height won’t risk any long-term damage to his thumb in a bid to return to the field for the Dragons this BFNL season.
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The Dragons’ star midfielder/forward is nursing a serious thumb injury that he concedes may be season-ending in what is another blow to the reigning premiers.
Height had been named in Sandhurst’s team to play Golden Square on Saturday, but he was never taking his place in the side given he was in a sling having already had surgery on his left thumb to repair the damage that was sustained in the Dragons’ round 11 win over Castlemaine two weeks earlier.
“I didn’t break a bone, but I’ve ruptured all the main ligaments in my thumb, which unfortunately needed re-constructive surgery,” Height said at the QEO on Saturday.
“I did it at some stage in the Castlemaine game… I don’t remember how, but I played most of the game out and came off in the last 10 minutes or so when it was feeling fairly sore.
“I thought after that game I may have been able to tape it up for the rest of the year, but after seeing a hand doctor in Melbourne he told me how bad it was and that it needed to be repaired immediately.
“It’s an injury that could be as low as six weeks out, or it could be up to 12 weeks. At the moment I don’t know, but it’s most likely season-ending, although, there may still be a bit of hope.
“The main thought though is to look after it and make sure my thumb and hand can work properly for the rest of my life.”
With Height – and a host of other injured premiership players from last year – watching on, the Dragons suffered a 27-point loss to the in-form Bulldogs, 11.14 (80) to 8.5 (53).
The round 12 defeat cost the Dragons their position in the top five.
