Stirling Mortlock confronts possibility Wallabies career may be over

[mudskipper]

http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,...-23217,00.html

November 08, 2009

A devastated Stirling Mortlock has revealed his unreliable body had forced him to confront the possibility his Wallabies career was over, now that his Grand Slam tour dream had been snuffed out.

"I'm not pulling down the curtain, but the truth is I've got to sit down and reassess the reality of where I'm at," Mortlock, 32, said in his first interview since re-tearing his dodgy calf muscle in training in Sydney last Friday.

"It's still too raw to pursue that, but the reality is I said from the outset of 2009 that by the end of this year I'd have an understanding of where my body and form are at (for a push to the 2011 World Cup)," he said.

"My body has struggled with its worst year. Things have gone pear-shaped."

A knee cartilage injury against South Africa in August, and now these two calf issues, will have whittled his 2009 contribution to just four of 14 Tests. The uncertainty contributed to him losing the Test captaincy for the tour.

The 80-Test backline powerhouse had already begun packing for a flight to Dublin to join his Wallabies teammates when a grab in the muscle during rehab running on Friday scuttled his high hopes of finishing the tour with a bang against Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

"It's unbelievably bad news. Devastating . . . when I consider how my rehab was going and how excited I was to be heading over to join the boys," he said.

"Basically, I'd done sessions Monday-Tuesday and Thursday-Friday. I was three-quarters of the way through final running with my physio when I felt a pretty decent grab in the calf. I knew straight away I was gone.

"The only good thing is it hasn't happened in a week leading up to a Test or in a big game."

Mortlock has already spoken to Brumbies coach Andy Friend and vowed to go full-throttle at the 2010 Super 14 season with new signings Rocky Elsom and Matt Giteau.

"I'm not pulling down the curtain . . . it's reassess time."

His latest ARU contract finishes after 2010, and the rich offers he has had from Japan will be weighed up against whether the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand is a tournament too far.

[PerthGirl]

It's a shame , he still has alot to offer a Wallabies team but wether he he will be able to come back for RWC is another thing.

[mudskipper]

Might do him good having a longer break from rugby... He'll be around for 2010 but perhaps not 2011. He has a Wallabies and Brumbies contract for next year. However the Brumbies start preseason training this monday...

[tdevil]

What took him so long to realise it. He was a good player, but he doesn't impress me anymore...it's time to move on

[force addict]

poor Mortlock. i've always liked him as captain. hes an outstanding player and it'll be a sad day for aussie rugby when he hangs up his boots/goes OS.

[Darren]

he's held up well. I'd be interested in seeing stats on the age of Wallabies as at their last representative match..

[Sheikh]

If he stays fit he's worth a place in the RWC squad because of his experience and size, but he's losing pace and calf injuries won't help. It can always be difficult having an ex-captain around, though, and he shouldn't be captain as he's not an automatic choice any more.

Personally, I hope he plays out this season with the Brumbies (not too well, obviously) and then heads to France/Japan to pad out his retirement fund - he's earned the right to.

[TOCC]

i would prefer him to stick around and try for the 2011 RWC, but i honestly dont think he will make it that far

[mudskipper]

RWC champion teams need depth... which is Mortlock's real advantage to the Wallabies... not to mention his mana as Deans would put it...

[GIGS20]

You can have mana coming out your ass but if you're on one leg........

He's done, gone, just needs to realise it now!

[TOCC]

if you ask the English media, George Smith is about to join him on the scrap heap

[James]

You'd think George Smith would have put in a better performance against England than he did considering he was dropped for Pocock the week before. It's hardly a ringing endorsement of youself. Lewis Moody was just back from a long injury lay off and he was all over the shop. You just didn't see nearly as much hunger from George and a couple of his tackle attempts were startling.

[GIGS20]

I don't think George is quite in the Stirling Mould yet......to be fair, if Mortlock could keep himself from flying apart at the seams, he'd still be a very valid option at 13.....especially since the cover is Adam Ashley-Cooper who we'd rather put at fullback, Digby Ioane who we'd rather have on the wing and Ryan Cross, who hasn't really set the world alight this year.

George is being pushed out by a number of excellent young prospects battling for his position, not fragility. I guess that makes you wonder why he was quiet on Saturday though. I wonder if he was worried about the ref?

[TOCC]

A fit Mortlock is still the number 1 pick at 13, but a fit Mortlock is becoming a rare sight these days

[AndyS]

I don't know that we'd "rather" have AAC at fullback so much as he is the best option at the moment. I thought if the game last weekend showed anything, it was that he was better suited for 13 than 15 - his kicking was less than impressive again.

As for George, I think someone made the point somewhere that the Australians kind of backed off at the breakdown simply to avoid being penalised off the park. Hard to shine at 7 if you are told to simply stop the ball carrier but not compete.