Kangaroos star Josh Mansour reveals he was ‘blubbering mess’ after Four Nations knee injury

PENRITH winger Josh Mansour admits the pain of his serious knee injury has caused plenty of mental anguish as he looks to rebuild his NRL career.

Josh Mansour faces a long road to recovery.

THE tears continue to flow for a shattered Josh Mansour. While the Kangaroos winger has come to terms with his freak training accident, the physical and mental pain still lingers, almost a week on.

In his only newspaper interview, Mansour opens up about the moment he knew his tour and the bulk of next season was over.

He may no longer be a “blubbering” mess but tears still linger. Wife Daniella had planned to fly in on Friday before Mansour was injured to join him on tour, as they looked forward to their honeymoon.

Instead he will make the journey back to Sydney alone, the same day he had planned to be greeted by his wife in London.

DEALING WITH THE INJURY

“Why me? Why did it happen. Just why?” Mansour tells the Daily Telegraph from the team’s hotel in Teddington.

“You ask but you’ve got no answers. I finally told myself it’s just a freak accident and I’ve accepted that. The morning after the injury I was broken. I was emotional. I was rooming by myself and I was sobbing in bed.

“It’s very tough, especially being an athlete. This can make you a stronger person or it can end you. Being the person I am, it’ll motivate me to be better.

Mansour scored a double in the win over Scotland.

“I was sobbing. Periods where I’ll be alone and I’ve got no one around me and thoughts just cloud my mind. It’s like someone has broken you down.

“You just have to let it out.

“The latest (time I cried) was last night when I was on the phone to my wife. I was talking to her over the phone, she didn’t even know (I was crying).

“But that was really tough. At that point I wasn’t feeling about myself, it was for her. I felt like I couldn’t do anything for her. I felt helpless.”

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THE MOMENT

His injury was as a result of friendly fire by teammate Josh Dugan as the Dragons star tried to score a try as Mansour shielded a ball near the dead-ball line in the final play of a skill-based touch football game last week.

The injury cost him certain Test selection and left him instantly knowing he was in a bad way.

“He was shattered,” Mansour said of Dugan. “I kept telling him it’s not his fault.

Mansour is likely to lose his Blues Origin spot.

“The feeling, the noise, the pain. I don’t think I’ll ever forget it. It was the final play of the game. If I knew the game was going to be finished I would’ve batted the ball dead.

“When the (medical staff) started doing tests, the knee just went crunch and I looked at them and I’m like ‘Oh no’. They didn’t even have to say anything. I just knew.”

FROM HIGH TO LOW

Just weeks ago Mansour and Daniella married. Now their honeymoon is delayed again, ending their plans to travel to Spain, Italy, France and the United Arab Emirates at the end of the tournament.

And without travel insurance, the injury has cost the duo thousands of dollars. Swelling in his knee has prevented his instant return to Australia with Mansour expected to leave on Friday despite Penrith wanting to fast-track his journey home.

“I was on the biggest high,” Mansour said.

“The wedding and I was happy with how the season panned out. The first person I had to tell was my wife. I took a while to tell her, it would’ve about midnight when I finally told her (almost seven hours after the incident). She thought I was joking.

“I was training so well and then lightning struck out of nowhere.

“If I get all the swelling out it reduces the risk of flying.

“If I do fly too early there is a big chance of a blood clot and that’s another complication I don’t need.”

Mansour hopes to return for Penrith in June of 2017.

RECOVERY

Mansour paid tribute to Kangaroos teammates Trent Merrin, Cooper Cronk and Blake Ferguson for helping through the pain.

But as his teammates spent time having a mini break in Spain this week, Mansour has been forced to stay behind to continue his rehabilitation.

He has now shifted his focus on returning to the field for Penrith midway through next year.

“There are going to be a lot of dark days,” Mansour said.

“A lot of hard work. It’s something I’ve accepted and I’ve got to get back as fast as I can.

“I’ve got to be smart so I can’t come back too early. I will do everything in my power to get this right and be part of the 2017 season. I would like to (play again) in June.”

Originally published as Kangaroos star Josh Mansour reveals he was ‘blubbering mess’ after Four Nations knee injury