West Coast star Nic Naitanui suffers knee injury against Collingwood at the MCG
WEST Coast coach Adam Simpson fought back tears while talking about Nic Naitanui’s suspected ACL injury on Sunday. SAM LANDSBERGER has the latest news from inside the Eagles’ camp.
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WEST Coast is doing “everything we can” to re-sign free agent Scott Lycett, who is suddenly a key to this year’s premiership hopes in the wake of Nic Naitanui’s suspected ACL.
Naitanui, 28, flew home to Perth with his teammates on Sunday night and scans on Monday are set to confirm he has ruptured the ACL in his right knee.
Coach Adam Simpson fought back tears during a TV interview after Sunday’s 35-point win against Collingwood and Simpson then admitted he was “terrible” with his emotions after the Naitanui blow.
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“It doesn’t look great,” Simpson said.
“Fingers crossed. Your heart breaks a little bit if it’s the case. It’s his other knee and … (pause) it’s one of those things that words can’t describe.
“There’s a bit of emotion going on in the rooms after the game, but he’s probably the one that’s the most relaxed with it all.
“I was the worst, he was the best. He’s not dying, he’s not dead. He’s still the same person. It’s just unfortunate we may have lost him for another season.”
When Naitanui went down during the second quarter Collingwood ruckman Brodie Grundy was yet to record a hitout to advantage and at halftime Grundy was the only player yet to register a kick.
Simpson said Lycett then “held his own” against Grundy as the Eagles powered away to a comfortable win.
“(Lycett’s) been yearning for that challenge, he’s had it at stages last year and this year,” Simpson said.
“That (Lycett’s signature) was important before the game, along with the other boys. We’re doing everything we can.”
Superstars Jeremy McGovern and Andrew Gaff are also in-demand restricted free agents this year.
Back up ruckman Nathan Vardy had 66 hitouts for East Perth in the WAFL on Saturday.
Simpson said the Naitanui blow made the stunning win “bittersweet” and refused to buy into whether his loss would cruel the club’s premiership chances.
“That’s a question you might ask, but I’m not going to entertain that,” Simpson said.
“We’ve had players come in and out of our side all year. We don’t want to reply on one particular player.
“Nic’s an A-grade ruckman – we want him in our side … but the fact is Nic might not be available the rest of the year, so we’ve got to keep finding a way.
“We lost Nic and I thought some of our individuals stood up. We showed a bit of resilience in the second half to put them to the sword.
“We probably should’ve kicked a few more goals in the end. To play with that spirit and brotherhood … I’m sure some of the players knew, and sometimes that rocks you.
“I’ve gone through it before. Your mind is a bit off task. As long as they keep playing with that spirit we’ll be OK.”
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Originally published as West Coast star Nic Naitanui suffers knee injury against Collingwood at the MCG
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