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Masten to miss up to 6 weeks

By Mr Dandalooa

West Coast midfielder Chris Masten is set to miss up to 6 weeks after injuring his knee against Fremantle during the weekend’s 38-point loss at Subiaco Oval.

But the 21-year-old remains optimistic and says it could have been worse.

Masten was forced to the bench and was unable to return to the field after being heavily bumped by Docker Adam McPhee in the Eagles’ sixth straight derby loss.

In a West Coast blog today, Masten said: “I have just got the results back from scans on the knee I injured on Sunday and the prognosis is about as good as it could be.”

“I have damaged the lateral ligament, which means I will be out for only 5-6 weeks.”

Masten said that was good news… “relatively speaking”.

“And I won’t need any surgery,” he says.

“As soon as my leg was caught under Adam McPhee in the derby I knew something was wrong.

“It felt very similar to the posterior cruciate ligament injury I suffered late last season so I knew it was going to mean a spell on the sidelines.

“When I hobbled off the ground to the bench I was shattered, but I didn’t want to show the boys how I was feeling.

“I had to stay positive and encourage them because they were a man down with more than a half to play.”

The worst thing, Masten says, was that he felt he was playing his best game of the season and wanted to be able to keep going and play his part in winning the Eagles’ first derby for a while.

“Unfortunately that wasn’t to be,” he lamented.

“My knee is swollen and aching a bit at the moment. It’s in a brace, but the docs reckon I could be running in 3-4 weeks and be ready to play again in 5-6 weeks, so it could have been worse.

“I won’t enjoy being laid up, I’m not a great patient, but I will be doing everything I can to get back as quickly as possible.”

Eagles coach John Worsfold had already confirmed after the match Masten’s injury was related to his posterior cruciate ligament.

Masten had scans to determine the extent of the injury, and had only recently made the extent of damage public.

In just three years at the Eagles camp, Masten has suffered groin and knee complaints which have restricted him to play just 34 games.

The youngster missed the final two games of the 2009 season with a knee injury.

Masten’s injury is another blow to the struggling Eagles, which have only one win on the board so far this season.

The Eagles will be without veteran Andrew Embley for the next few games, while Kerr is out 10 weeks with a hamstring injury, Houlihan (foot) 5 weeks, Neates (finger) 5 weeks, Jones, B (arm) 2-3 weeks, Shuey (knee) 1-2 weeks, Smith (quad) test, Butler (facial fracture) available, Masten (knee) TBA.