Former Pakenham junior Tyson Goldsack is recovering slowly from glandular fever.
By Paul Pickering
COLLINGWOOD premiership player Tyson Goldsack is resigned to missing the start of the 2011 season as he recovers from a bout of glandular fever.
Goldsack spent a week in hospital in December and lost 13kg after falling ill on his return from the club’s off-season training camp in Arizona.
The Pakenham-raised utility remains severely restricted in his training program, but last week said he was confident of playing a significant role in the Magpies’ premiership defence.
“I’m definitely over the worst,” the 23-year-old said on Friday.
“I was in hospital for a week immediately after I got back from Arizona, then I was bed-ridden for another week after that.”
Goldsack presently weighs in at 84kg, having played in Collingwood’s second grand final victory at around 90kg.
The Pies returned to full training a fortnight ago, but Goldsack has been restricted to a light weights program and hadn’t joined the main group until last week.
“I didn’t realise how much it had knocked me around until I started back at training,” he said.
“I just thought I’d be a bit lighter than normal and I’d be able to get straight back into training, but today I got out onto the ground for the first time, did the warm-up and that was it. I had no energy left.
“Each session I do I’m getting a bit stronger, but it’s a fairly long process.”
Club doctors have warned Goldsack he risks a relapse if he overexerts himself in a bid to fast-track his preparations for the season.
“I can’t see myself playing AFL in round one, but if I can get to a standard where I can play VFL I’d be pretty happy with that,” he said.
Last month’s setback capped a turbulent year for the former Pakenham junior, who contracted meningitis on the eve of the 2010 season.
He fought back to play nine games in the second half of the home-and-away season, but was left out of the Magpies’ 22 for the drawn grand final against St Kilda. His recall – at the expense of livewire forward Leon Davis – for the second ‘decider’ produced a career-defining moment, with Goldsack kicking the opening goal of the match just seconds after coming off the bench.
The versatile stopper was then selected in the successful Australian team for the International Rules series in Ireland, representing his country for the first time.
So, given the many blessings of the past six months, Goldsack is reluctant to complain about the timing of his illness.
“It’s probably the best time it could happen,” he said.
“Last year I thought it (the meningitis) was bad timing, but when you think about it, bad timing would be a week before the grand final.
“The quicker I get over it, stop dwelling on it and focus on what I’ve got to do, the better I’ll be.”
Goldsack said he has barely had time to reflect on the grand final victory over the summer, with trips to Ireland and Arizona being split by a two-week holiday in Europe with his girlfriend, Jess.
“It (premiership) happened so quickly and after the grand final it didn’t really sink in,” he said.
“But someone said it today, ‘you’re a premiership player’, and I thought, ‘oh yeah, I am’. I just hadn’t heard it that much.”
Some have suggested that Chris Tarrant’s return to Collingwood – and a likely role in the back six – will put extra pressure on Goldsack’s spot in the side. However, the man affectionately known as ‘The Sack’, took some heart from a conversation with coach Mick Malthouse during the Arizona trip.
“He just said that with the new interchange rule, with the three interchange and one substitute, there will be more emphasis on players that can play multiple positions, so I kind of fit right into that,” Goldsack explained.
“I’ll hopefully play a bit more up on the wing if I can get my fitness up to where it should be.”
