Easton Wood undergoes major ankle surgery after captaining Western Bulldogs premiership

WESTERN Bulldogs premiership captain Easton Wood will be sidelined for four months following major ankle surgery this week.

WESTERN Bulldogs premiership captain Easton Wood will be sidelined for four months following major ankle surgery.

The star defender carried the injury throughout the finals series after damaging the medial ligament in his ankle against Essendon in Round 22.

He went into hospital on Thursday following the club’s best-and-fairest count with the procedure more complicated than originally expected.

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Wood admitted he feared his season was over when he initially suffered the injury.

“I’d jumped and landed and my ankle just rolled inward,” he said.

“I thought I was in serious, serious strife as soon as it happened.

Bulldogs premiership captain Easton Wood at home after having ankle surgery. Picture: Colleen Petch

“In 2011 I’d dislocated my ankle, this one wasn’t anywhere near as bad as that, but when I did it I immediately thought straight back to that moment and I thought I’m done, I’ve wrecked it.

“When we got down to the rooms and took the boot off, it had blown up like a balloon and I was certain it was done.”

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Scans revealed there was no break or rupture so Wood began an intensive rehabilitation program to get ready for the Bulldogs’ finals campaign.

He spent two weeks virtually living in an ice bath while his left ankle was in a moon boot for the first week.

“The main thing was to stiffen that joint because I wouldn’t have been able to play if that was unstable,” Wood explained.

Easton Wood's ankle after the Round 22 game against Essendon.

Easton Wood’s premiership medal and Grand Final guernsey. Picture: Colleen Petch

“That’s where the docs and physio Chris Bell did an amazing job because at no point did I have any stability issues.”

Wood suffered a scare early in the elimination final against West Coast when he slipped in a marking contest, tweaking the other side of his ankle.

“That was pretty uncomfortable,” he said. “For the rest of that game I couldn’t get off the ground at all, but it then improved each week.”

The walking wounded of the Dogs is the untold story of the premiership victory.

Defender Dale Morris played the game out with two fractures in his back while a number of key players including Tom Boyd, Jake Stringer and Caleb Daniel carried issues which will require surgery in the coming weeks.