Ben Ainsworth opens up about foot injury that ended his consistent second season in the AFL for Gold Coast Suns
IT’S an injury that drove Brownlow Medallist Robert Harvey to jump off his kitchen table but thankfully for young Suns forward Ben Ainsworth Gold Coast didn’t need to remove all the furniture from his home.
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IT’S an injury that drove Brownlow Medallist Robert Harvey to jump off his kitchen table but thankfully for young Suns forward Ben Ainsworth Gold Coast didn’t need to remove all the furniture from his home.
Ainsworth will make his return to football today through Gold Coast’s NEAFL team, who will play the Brisbane Lions at Metricon Stadium in Round 17 of the competition.
The 20-year-old has missed the club’s past three AFL games while battling a plantar fasciitis — the tissue that runs along the bottom of the foot from the heel bone to the arch — issue and a stomach bug.
Harvey, a Saint Kilda legend, famously jumped off his kitchen table in order to rupture the plantar fascia and accelerate the healing process.
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Ainsworth played the first 15 games of the season before succumbing to the injury.
The small forward revealed he spent four weeks battling the foot problem and conceded it had begun to affect his form.
“I probably played with it for about a month prior to actually missing a game,” Ainsworth said.
“It was continually getting worse and worse.
“It was a matter of managing it over time and then we came to the point where it had to be rested.
“It probably affected my form at times. Everyone talks about mental resilience and it does play a big part in how your form is operating.
“My foot is probably in a better space and my mental capacity is a lot better.”
Ainsworth said he expected to play around between 90 and 100 per cent of today’s game after being able to maintain a solid amount of fitness during his break.
Ainsworth is one of three inclusions to the team alongside Josh Schoenfeld and Pearce Hanley.
The trio will replace Brayden Fiorini (AFL), Jack Bowes (AFL) and Fitzroy Greenwool (omitted).
Gold Coast hold sixth on the NEAFL ladder, two points ahead of Brisbane who beat the Suns 12.24 (96) to 0.4 (4) when the two sides last met in Round 6.
The Southport Sharks have a bye.
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