It looks as though Hepburn backman Jackson Liversidge won’t play another game of football until 2019, but it doesn’t really seem to bother him.
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The 24-year-old remains off work after sustaining a horror knee injury during the early stages of last month’s Central Highlands Football League grand final.
The Burras won the match, giving Liversidge his first premiership success.
Liversidge has had an initial surgery to repair a medial collateral ligament and to complete other work on his knee. He has to wait about six months for a bone graft to heal before more surgery can be done to fix his anterior cruciate ligament.
It is the second time he has ruptured his ACL.
“The first time when I did it, I was shattered. This time, it doesn’t really worry me that much at all now,” he said.
“It’s happened. That’s footy. It went in the grand final – that’s pretty much the best way you could do it.
“I’m just happy that I got through the game and got myself a medal.”
I’m just happy that I got through the game and got myself a medal."
- Jackson Liversidge
Liversidge said he was wrestling a Beaufort opponent when the Crows player fell across his knee.
This happened in the first term, but didn’t stop the defender completing the game. While he was relatively quiet, Burras coach Jason Olver has raved about a couple of important moments where his charge delivered late in the game.
Liversidge knew his knee didn’t feel right after the incident, but wasn’t going to retreat to the sidelines in the biggest game of his career.
“It would have been a bit different if it was round one, but grand final day, you look in everyone’s eyes and the look that they had… we wanted to just go out there, get the job done and come home with the cup,” he said.
Liversidge admitted he thought his season was over after badly hurting his hamstring in the final round of the home and away campaign.
“I thought even if we should be playing in the grand final, I’m not going to get in,” he said.
But Liversidge recovered just in time for the decider and was rewarded with a place in the team by Olver.
“I just kept sort of ticking away and ticking away, got through Thursday night training and then Jocks (Olver) gave me the all clear.”
Liversidge has been off work for more than a month now, but said his teammates and people from the club had been supportive.
But how has he filled in the time at home in recovery mode?
“I’ve watched the grand final replay a fair few times, I’ll tell you that,” Liversidge said with a laugh.
“It’s my first flag so I’ve loved it.”
