Lachie Hosie’s remarkable SANFL finals return after “shocking’’ knee injury

Told he wasn’t going to play again this year after a “shocking’’ knee injury, Glenelg star Lachie Hosie made a stunning return in the SANFL preliminary final. He tells Andrew Capel how.

Lachie Hosie described the news as “shocking’’.

After pulling up lame from a fall during Glenelg’s Round 7 clash against the Eagles at Woodville Oval, the spectacular, high-flying forward underwent scans on his right knee and was told by medicos that the damage was so bad that he wouldn’t play again this year.

The news hit the flamboyant Hosie, who wears his heart on his sleeve, like a sledgehammer.

“It was pretty shocking news to hear that my season was done and that I should look forward to next year,’’ said Hosie, who is one of the Tigers’ most important players.

Down but not out, it seems.

Hosie – coming off a career-best season when he won the Ken Farmer and Jack Oatey medals as the league’s top goalkicker and for being best afield in the grand final win against Sturt – refused to give up on his season.

Within days of having surgery, which involved stitching and reattaching badly torn meniscus cartilage, he plotted a finals comeback.

This was despite the 27-year-old having a similar injury – and surgery – to Crows AFL star Riley Thilthorpe, who was sidelined for four months this year after being injured in a pre-season game.

Glenelg’s Lachie Hosie celebrates kicking a goal in his comeback game against Central District in last Sunday’s SANFL preliminary final at Adelaide Oval. Picture: David Mariuz/SANFL

Lachie Hosie after kicking one of his four goals in the preliminary final against Central District. Picture: David Mariuz/SANFL

“I had some pretty good people around me, including a couple at the Crows who knew Riley Thilthorpe and understood the injury he had, put into place a plan to get me back this year,’’ Hosie said.

“We looked towards the long term and saw the prelim (final) was 14 weeks away and drew a plan up to try to get back for that.’’

With encouragement from coach Darren Reeves and his Tiger teammates, Hosie went to work.

Told not to do any weight bearing work on his surgically repaired leg for six weeks, Hosie was back in the club gym in three.

He became a gym junkie, undertaking two long rehab sessions a day, often for three-to-four hours, with the club physio and strength and conditioning staff.

“There were only a handful of people who knew what was going on as I ramped things up with the end goal of playing in this year’s finals,’’ Hosie said.

“Reeva (Reeves) was terrific in supporting me through it all, continually reminding me that I was important to the team and that if I continued to train hard and was able to get fit he’d play me (in the finals), so a lot of credit must go to him.’’

Hosie only started running six weeks ago and his comeback plans were thrown into doubt when Glenelg – chasing back-to-back flags – lost two of its last three minor round games to slump to fourth and miss the coveted double chance in the finals.

Tiger Lachie Hosie kicks his first goal after only 102 seconds in his comeback game against the Bulldogs at Adelaide Oval last Sunday. Picture: David Mariuz/SANFL

After the Bays avoided elimination in the opening knockout final against Woodville-West Torrens, Hosie was named to play against Sturt in the first semi-final after training the house down.

But he was a late withdrawal from the team after reporting tightness in his left hamstring – a result of being sidelined for so long.

“That was really disappointing but the goal was always to get back for the preliminary final, so I was still on track for that,’’ Hosie said.

With Glenelg upsetting the Double Blues, Hosie not only made his date with preliminary final destiny but his long-awaited return was spectacular.

Far from looking rusty, he was explosive from the start of last Sunday’s clash against Central District, kicking the game’s first goal after only 102 seconds.

Two minutes into the second quarter, Hosie had booted three of the Tigers’ four goals before finishing with 4.3 from 11 disposals and four marks.

It was a statement-making return and helped propel Glenelg to its fourth grand final in six years.

While many pundits thought the Bays were taking a massive gamble by bringing Hosie back in such a high-pressure game after 112 days on the sidelines, Reeves downplayed the risk.

“From the outside it might have looked like a gamble but we’ve watched Lachie work incredibly hard and knew he was right,’’ he said after his side set up a grand final showdown with minor premier Norwood.

Celebration time for Lachie Hosie after booting one of his four majors against Central District in the SANFL preliminary final at Adelaide Oval. Picture: David Mariuz/SANFL

“He did more than he probably needed to do to play and we just knew that because he has so much talent that he was going to come out and do something like he did.’’

Hosie admitted to being “pretty emotional’’ when he was told after training on Thursday that he would be playing.

“It was a stressful week, just ticking the boxes each day,’’ he said.

“Reeva told me that if I could complete training well on Thursday I would play and as soon as the whistle (to end training) blew, I looked at him and he gave me a nod, which was pretty emotional, knowing all the hard work with my rehab had paid off.’’

Hosie described his stunning return as “pretty crazy’’.

“I couldn’t have scripted that,’’ he said.

“It’s been a long, hard road to get back and it was a little bit of repayment to all the people who have helped me, including my teammates.

“Getting back to another grand final is quite surreal and now we have to try to make the most of it.’’