Josh to miss pre season???

[London Dave]

Not so good news...lets hope its just a scare
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,3722858%255E11088,00.html

Fraser out with groin injury
By MIKE SHEAHAN
06feb02

JOSH Fraser's 2002 preparation is on hold, halted by the dreaded groin condition, osteitis pubis.

Collingwood's emerging star is unlikely to play during the Wizard Home Loans Cup series, but says he expects to be ready for the March 28 start to the premiership season.
While Fraser sees his problem as a setback rather than a crisis, the stark reality is he turned 20 only a month ago, yet already has fallen victim to the scourge of modern football.

Asked yesterday if the groin problem that flared late last week was the notorious osteitis pubis, he said: "There's a slight touch of o.p. in there, yeah."

Collingwood's football operations manager Neil Balme said: "It could be the famous o.p." He said scans had proved inconclusive, but the club had taken a conservative approach.

"He was a bit sore on Friday and they (the medical staff) slowed him down. We'll just settle him down; we've got a chance to stop it in its tracks.

"It's pretty early at the moment," Balme said, admitting: "Obviously we're very concerned about it."

There is an acute awareness of osteitis pubis at Collingwood. Anthony Rocca has been battling the problem for several months, it effectively ruined Damien Adkins' 2001 season and Heath Scotland had a minor case between seasons.

The Kangaroos' Wayne Carey tried in vain to carry it during the latter half of 2000 and for much of 2001, while Melbourne's Stephen Powell was forced to miss the entire 2001 season.

Hawthorn's John Barker is another high-profile victim. He underwent surgery late last year.

Fraser said he had become aware of his problem getting out of bed one morning recently.

"I just rolled over to get out and thought, 'Geez, me groins are a bit sore'." He won't be pleased to learn Carey literally had to roll out of bed during the Roos' end-of-season trip in 2000.

"I'm a little bit sore, but we're pretty confident that it's nothing serious," Fraser said.

"I saw the doctor, had the scan and they said, 'Yeah, we'll pull back your training for a couple of weeks'.

"It's just a matter of resting over the next week or so, hopefully getting some conditioning in the gym and on the grinders, that sort of thing.

"We probably don't know the severity of it. Hopefully, with a week's rest, it'll settle down.

"It does get sore, yeah. It comes and goes a little bit. There's a bit in there, but I'm still quite fit.

"If it means I have to miss the pre-season cup, well, I won't risk coming back too early."

Balme said Fraser was unlikely to play in the pre-season competition.

"I'd say no. Maybe the last one, but we're absolutely committed to having him right for the first round (Richmond at the MCG on March 2," he said.

Collingwood chief executive Greg Swann described osteitis pubis as a "frightening" byproduct of the modern game, but said the Magpies were positive on Fraser because of the early detection of the problem.

[mandy]

My heart stopped this morning when I bought the paper and saw a HUGE picture of Josh on the back page with an even HUGER (is that a word?) headline "OH MY GOSH, NOT JOSH TOO"

By all accounts, they've got it fairly early and they seem pretty confident he'll be right.

Fingers crossed!

Colours are an illusion. There is only black and white.