Sam Powell-Pepper sets goal to play round 1 as ACL recovery continues
Sam Powell-Pepper had a career-best season in 2023, then an ACL injury cut his campaign short this year. He tells MATT TURNER how he’s tracking and the date he aims to make his return.
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Sam Powell-Pepper is eyeing a round-1 return as he prepares to complete another milestone in his comeback from a season-ending knee injury.
The Port Adelaide workhorse plans to on Wednesday participate in his first kicking drill since rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right leg in April.
Powell-Pepper hoped to be back in full training by the end of next month and feature in one of the club’s pre-season matches, before lining up in Port’s season-opener against Collingwood at the MCG on March 15.
“Of course I’ll listen to the professionals and whenever I’m ready, I’m ready,” Powell-Pepper told this masthead.
“But I’d love to set a little goal and play round 1.
“That’d be pretty cool.”
Powell-Pepper last week went to Sydney where he passed in-depth biomechanical testing analysing things like the strength in his legs and lateral movement.
He resumed running in late July, three months after suffering the injury against St Kilda at Adelaide Oval, and was keen to get back into game simulation.
“By the end of January, I’ll hopefully be in full main training, doing everything,” he said.
“I’ve been doing so much running and everything, I just want to get some match fitness.
“I should be able to play one of the pre-season games.
“I’ve got a few things I need to tick off, but I’m past the hard part now.
“I’m cruising into the easy part so I’m just excited now.”
Powell-Pepper revealed that Power great Robbie Gray visited him at home a week after his injury to provide valuable advice on his recovery.
Gray sustained an ACL injury in 2012 and two years later he won the first of four Port best-and-fairests.
“It gives you a lot of confidence seeing what he did after his (ACL injury),” Powell-Pepper said.
“He told me to make sure I do all the rehab, don’t take any shortcuts, build the strength up and when you come back, just know you’ve put all the work in, you don’t have to be in two minds.
“We talk all the time.”
Powell-Pepper’s injury followed a career-best 2023 in which he finished sixth in the Power’s club champion award.
That form gives him confidence going into next year despite registering only three matches this past season.
Powell-Pepper said it would be a special feeling when he was playing again.
“I know how much blood, sweat and tears I’ve put into this prehab,” he said.
“Being my first injury, it’s been a big wake-up call about everything you have to do along the way and I’m making sure there’s no stone left unturned so I can get back out there and do what I love.
“The supporters are so passionate and I get hundreds and hundreds of messages from them, so they’ll love that I’m back out there.
“The players too – Buttsy (Zak Butters) says he misses having me out there at training.”
Wednesday is the Power’s last session before its Christmas break.
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