Lady Reds captain Marijana Rajcic injures knee, needs third

LADY Reds captain Marijana Rajcic cried all the melancholy out of her system when medicos declared she needed a third knee reconstruction on Monday.

26/11/15 Marijana Rajcic the captain of the Lady Reds at her Windsor Gardens home who is ruled out for 12 months after rupturing her ACL for the third time. She will still support the Lady Reds at home v Sydney FC on Friday night. photo Calum Robertson

LADY Reds captain Marijana Rajcic cried all the melancholy out of her system when medicos declared she needed a third knee reconstruction on Monday.

Rajcic, 26, ruptured her anterior cruciate ligament on her ‘good right knee’ after chasing down a ball during the first half of the Lady Reds’ 1-1 draw with Newcastle Jets at Coopers Stadium on Sunday.

“I cried it all out of my system on Monday after the doctors (diagnosis),’’ Rajcic said.

“I went to Henley Beach, I ordered my coffee at Cibo and I’m crying I couldn’t put two words together, then I walked to the beach sat there, watched the waves crash and I got all the sadness out of me.

“I needed to be on my own.

“I walked in to the theatre and plonked myself onto the operating table and said “I’m a pro at this.’’

“They all looked and laughed, I didn’t recognise any familiar faces in the theatre.

“I’ve had three knee reconstructions now in seven years and I’ve lost 12 months of playing time in between each one, there’s not much playing time is there?”

Rajcic, a schoolteacher at Windsor Garden secondary college, is now laid up at home after having surgery at Calvary Wakefield hospital on Tuesday.

She is expected to return to school duties next week but is adamant she’ll be in the change rooms at Adelaide Shores tonight when the Lady Reds host Sydney FC in a potential season defining clash.

The Lady Reds are currently second and two points clear of the eighth placed Sky Blues.

“On Monday night I also called a players-only meeting to put into perspective our performance last Sunday,’’ Rajcic said.

“We weren’t happy with it and we can do better.

“We’re in charge of our destiny, either we’ll stay second with a win (Friday) or we’ll start going down the ladder.

“I had a bit of a stern talking to them all and also let them know about my surgery.

“But I just want us to be in the finals for the first time in our history, I’ll be with them all the way. I think we can do it.”

But nothing will hold her back from making a return to the game once rehab is over next year.

“It’s in me to comeback,’’ she said.

“It’s going to be an uphill battle and I’ll have my moments where I want to quit, I’ve been through it all before, I know what’s coming at me.

“But I love this game to much to throw it away.”

Rajcic made her return to the Lady Reds this year after claiming the Shirley Brown women’s premier league player of the year and the golden boot for an outstanding season with Metro United.

Originally published as Lady Reds captain Marijana Rajcic injures knee, needs third