PRETORIUS OUT FOR THE SEASON

[RugbyWA]

Emirates Western Force fly-half Andre Pretorius will miss the 2010 Investec Bank Super 14 competition after sustaining a season ending hamstring injury at training this week.

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[slomo]

thanks for nothing!!!... Does he remain a contracted player for the whole season?....... Can we pay him off and sign another marquee signing.......... So many questions......
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[Ecky]

Fark!

[Darren]

Bart did well tonight!

[OzFUB]

EMIRATES Western Force fly-half Andre Pretorius will miss the 2010 Super 14 competition after sustaining a season ending hamstring injury at training this week.


Pretorius, who joined the Emirates Force this season as the club’s marquee player, felt pain in the back of his left leg during Wednesday’s session and was treated by club medical staff.

Follow-up scans yesterday and a consultation with a specialist this afternoon revealed the severity of the injury and showed the World Cup winning Springbok had torn his left hamstring from the bone.

The injury will require surgical reattachment and an extended period on the sidelines, approximately three months, meaning he will not take part in the Emirates Western Force 2010 season.

“I’ve gone to work with the boys for so long now and it has been my best pre-season in many years. I’m really disappointed that I won’t be able to have the opportunity to represent the Western Force and play rugby with the new mates that I have made here,” Pretorius said.

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“My body was in the best condition it has been in a long time and after watching the video footage of the training session and seeing when the injury occurred it didn’t look like much at all. The physios at the club said it was a just a freakish type of injury.

“I guess the only good thing from a personal point of view is that the Force has the best hamstring rehab program that I have ever worked with.

“It’s a bitter pill to swallow after putting in all the hard yards and committing myself to a great bunch of guys at the club. I still want to remain involved and offer any assistance I can to help make this a successful season for the Force,” Pretorius added.

Pretorius made the move to Western Australia after 69 Super Rugby caps with the Lions in South Africa and had been rejuvenated by the switch to the Emirates Western Force. The 31 year old completed a solid pre-season build-up and played in the club’s trial match win against the Sharks in Cape Town a week ago.

Coach John Mitchell said it was extremely disappointing to lose a player the quality of Pretorius but praised the work ethic and commitment the South African had brought to the club throughout the pre-season.

“It is really unlucky for Andre, I feel gutted for him,” Mitchell said.

“From a playing perspective we now have to look at what we’ve got and move forward without him, that’s just part of rugby,” added Mitchell.

The Emirates Western Force will assess their options in relation to a replacement player and are in discussions with the Australian Rugby Union to derive a suitable outcome. ARU rules allow a club to recruit only one marquee player per season.

Pretorius, who signed a one year contract with the Emirates Western Force, the maximum allowed under the ARU marquee system, has recently concluded a multi-year contract to play in Japan following the 2010 Super 14 season.

http://www.perthnow.com.au/sport/ham...-1225827265070

[BDAVEY]

Can we get our money back.......... whats Brooky up to can we pass the can around for him to return

---------- Post added at 22:37 ---------- Previous post was at 22:32 ----------

ARU will screw us.. they like doing that to the EWF..... we will fight in the trench's without Andre

[Skiza]

What a big blow for him and the team, especially so close to the start of the season. Hopefully it doesn't screw us up too much!

[palitu]

shit, and he's off to japan next year if i read that last line correctly...

[The EnForcer]

He is a well liked player by all accounts and was adding a lot to the team.......he must be gutted!

[lara93]

ive been so down today its not funny

[Thequeerone]

Am really really torn on this one - want the force to have options but having met the guy and listening to his delight at living in Perth and knowing he has a family reliant on him it's a really really hard call.

I really hope someone can manufacture a win win from this one.

[robyn <3]

Keep him on a coaching contract of some sort? We'd still be paying him but we wouldn't be wasting out money. That's the best win-win I've got. It's a real shame