Melbourne midfielder Jack Trengove will miss remainder of 2014 season with foot injury to navicular bone

MELBOURNE midfielder Jack Trengove will miss the remainder of the 2014 season and maybe more with a serious foot injury.

TWO of the worst words in football — navicular bone — has struck down Jack Trengove.

The one-time Melbourne skipper whose career plummeted, which lead to him being axed from the seniors after Round 2, will have surgery today and will miss the rest of the season.

His career hangs in balance.

Bluntly, if the stress fracture in the bone located on the top of Trengove’s foot does not knit, then he will not play again.

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For example, former Geelong All Australian defender Matthew Egan.

If the stress fracture does knit, Trengove will play Round 1 next year.

For example, former Essendon skipper James Hird.

Others have returned from a similar injury, such as Trengove’s teammate Jack Grimes and Collingwood’s Alex Fasolo.

Jack Trengove was dropped from the senior side after the Round 2 loss to West Coast.

There are various navicular bone injuries, the most worrisome being a stress fracture which Trengove has suffered.

Trengove first had concerns with his navicular at the end of 2012.

Texts between former Essendon sports scientist Stephen Dank and Melbourne club doctor Dan Bates emerged last year, with the pair in December 2012 discussing using contentious drug AOD-9604 in cream form to help Trengove.

There is no evidence the plan was enacted.

He played the 2013 but was a player clearly under physical duress.

The explosion and power Trengove had in his first seasons were lost.

On Sunday, Trengove reported soreness following his game for the Casey Scorpions and scans yesterday confirmed a stress fracture.

Footy certainly is a roller coaster like no other! Important to always put into perspective. A positive in every circumstance. I'll be back!

— Jack Trengove (@jtren9) April 15, 2014

On one front it’s devastating news, and on the other, the fact it has been identified gives Trengove clarity on the injury.

“When you get a phone call to say there’s a crack in there it’s shattering,” he said.

“There was an element of relief there because I’ve been battling away... thinking ‘why can’t I move the way I’ve moved in the past?’

“It was doing my head in.”

Trengove hopes surgery will allow him to again be the player Demons fans saw in his early days.

“I’d love to be able to get back to the footy that I was playing back in the first year, free of any burden and just enjoying myself.”

“Hopefully when I get back fit and healthy I can contribute like that.”

Trengove has played 81 matches from a possible 92, but it remains to be seen if he will add to that tally.

Hird suffered his injury in the late 1990s and undertook three levels of recovery.

He rested the foot which did not work, had an operation which was not a success, and then a second operation which included a bone graft, which was successful and allowed Hird to return to the field in 2000.

Egan had complications which could not be overcome, meaning he retired at the end of 2009, aged just 26.

“He is a resilient character,’’ Melbourne football manager Josh Mahoney said of Trengove yesterday.

“Jack’s attitude has been outstanding this year, particularly in recent weeks while playing in the VFL, and for this to happen to him is really unfortunate.

“At Melbourne, we’ve had two examples of players who have had this type of injury in Colin Garland and Jack Grimes and they both made full recoveries.

“We expect Jack to make a full recovery, and be available for day one of pre-season training.”