Young Gold Coast Suns star Jaeger O’Meara has received the first of two off-season knee surgeries and could miss the start of the 2015 AFL season.
The 182cm midfielder is in London for a pair of specialist operations to repair dodgy patella tendons in both knees.
O’Meara is believed to have gone under the knife on Tuesday and is expected to receive a second round of surgery on Thursday, receiving the same procedure Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal underwent to save his ailing knees.
The length of recovery and rehab time needed post-surgery means O’Meara may not be ready for the round 1 clash with Melbourne on April 4 next year and the Suns aren’t willing to risk one of club’s future building blocks.
“We’re optimistic he’ll be right for round one and we’re even more confident knowing the way Jaeger goes about his rehab, recovery and the way he looks after himself,” Gold Coast general manager of football Marcus Ashcroft told AFL.com.au.
“We’re expecting him to be available to play, but we’ve taken a long-term view to look after him over multiple years, so we’re not going to rush him back for round one if he’s not quite right.”
O’Meara matched his 2013 rookie season by playing all 22 games while averaging 21.4 disposals and 6.4 tackles last season, but played in constant pain with chronic patella tendinitis in both knees.
“It just shows how tough he is, and he finished top five in our club champion and was a significant contributor,” Ashcroft said. “He can tolerate a lot of pain.
“We’ve taken the approach that it’s more about his long-term welfare. We hope he’s a one-club player and plays with us his whole career, so our interest is in his long-term wellbeing.”
Photo: Chris Hyde/Getty Images
