Mortlock gives himself 48 hours

[jargan83]

Mortlock gives himself 48 hours

Peter Fitzgerald, Canberra Times | March 25, 2009 - 9:54AM

Stirling Mortlock has given himself 48 hours to prove his fitness, otherwise he'll stand himself down from Sunday morning's match against the Durban Sharks.

The Brumbies outside centre suffered two corked thighs during the team's 25-17 loss to the Johannesburg Lions at Ellis Park three days ago.

He has been able to complete only restricted training since.Mortlock ran at 70 per cent on Monday and 80 per cent yesterday.

The Brumbies have today off before their main training session of the week.

Coach Andy Friend has always been a believer in having his starting team for the upcoming match training together at the execution session, so they can work on combinations.

And Mortlock said he wouldn't make himself a special exception, declaring he would rule himself out of the Sharks contest if his thighs weren't improving at a desirable rate.

"If I can't train with the team by Thursday then that'll be it, it all gets too hard from then so I'd put my hand up and sit the game out," he told The Canberra Times.

"To be honest it's still pretty sore so I've just got to let the rehabilitation take its course but I'm still not well enough to train properly yet.

"I'll see how it goes the next two days but I've been around long enough to know that if you're not right by the Thursday, you're generally not sufficiently right by game day and I won't jeopardise the team by giving myself too long before we make a decision."

Mortlock was crunched in a sickening tackle in the second half of the Lions match last weekend.

There were initial fears he had suffered a serious knee injury after replays of the tackle showed his right side almost hyper-extending as a result of the clash.

http://www.rugbyheaven.com.au/news/n...656968873.html

[Flamethrower]

Why do the Brumbies need a Coach and medical staff???

[Burgs]

They don't with Super Stirling around...

[zimeric]

oh my hero...

[The Lone Hydrangea]

I hate spin! Mortlock is knackered. Why risk him when playing a team in form? and may well get a pantsing from a team in red hot form( home to boot) with or without him.
Save him for the Blomfentein game where they will win..

[mudskipper]

Its probably just brinkmanship to keep the Sharks guessing... about the Brumbies line up...

Taxi.....

[GIGS20]

I hate spin! Mortlock is knackered. Why risk him when playing a team in form? and may well get a pantsing from a team in red hot form( home to boot) with or without him.
Save him for the Blomfentein game where they will win..

I guess those decisions would be up to the committee

[fulvio sammut]

Time up yet?

[mudskipper]

Time up yet?

soon the team will be announced today.... Brumbies will have a number of changes anyway…



Chapman in line for Brumbies call-up

Mitchell Chapman is in contention to play his first Super 14 match of the season should he prove he has recovered from a shoulder injury.Brumbies coach Andy Friend was yesterday hoping to name his team for Sunday morning's clash against the Durban Sharks at Absa Stadium.

But a string of injuries has forced him to delay an announcement by 24 hours.

Chapman and Stirling Mortlock are Friend's two biggest concerns.

Second-rower Chapman played in 12 of the Brumbies' 13 matches last season but had surgery on his right shoulder in the off-season which has sidelined him since.

When he was selected to tour South Africa 10 days ago, Chapman told The Canberra Times he was still having trouble sleeping and required assistance to put a shirt on, such was the pain involved with his injury.

But he has largely recovered from that setback and if he passes a fitness test this morning, he will likely play against the Sharks this weekend.

Mortlock also needs to pass fitness tests to ensure he lines up against the Sharks.

The 31-year-old trained only briefly with the team on Monday and was still sore at yesterday's session from the two corked thighs he copped in last weekend's 25-17 loss to the Johannesburg Lions.

The players have tomorrow off but Mortlock will have to undergo a series of exercises in a bid to prove his fitness.

The Brumbies' other injured players Adam Ashley-Cooper (ribs), Mark Gerrard (elbow) and Julian Salvi (corked thigh) have all been cleared to play.

Mortlock participated in some early skills work at training on Monday before retreating to the sidelines to do some running by himself.

Salvi didn't train at all but will play while Clyde Rathbone had a restricted session due to his ongoing knee injury.

Friend said he had little choice but to delay the naming of his team.

He was relieved Ashley-Cooper, Gerrard and Salvi had recovered from their setbacks and remained hopeful both Chapman and Mortlock would do the same.

"Stirling, we're still not too sure where he's at yet," the coach said. "He seems confident. He was more confident after training yesterday than before training but today and tomorrow really is the key for him to see how he can back up and how his legs are travelling.

"As for Chappo, we wouldn't have bought him on tour with us if we didn't intend on using him."

Chapman joined Alfi Mafi, Gene Fairbanks and Salesi Ma'afu as the tourists who didn't play last weekend.Should he win selection for the Sharks match, it would likely come at the expense of Shawn Mackay.

http://www.rugbyheaven.com.au/news/n...656968885.html

[blueandblack]

Mortlock named for Shark showdown

26th March 2009, 11:30 WST

Injured Wallabies captain Stirling Mortlock has been named in the Brumbies side to take on Super 14 high-flyers the Sharks in Durban late on Saturday night (WST).

Mortlock suffered a bad cork in an ugly collision during last weekend’s 25-17 loss to the Lions.

The inspirational centre will be given until match day to prove his fitness and coach Andy Friend has named an eight-man bench with returning backs Gene Fairbanks and Alfi Mafi among his options if Mortlock is ruled out.

Friend has made two changes to his starting side, with winger Clyde Rathbone promoted from the bench to run on against his former side and flanker Mitchell Chapman to make his first appearance of 2009 after off-season shoulder surgery.

Rathbone made his Super rugby debut for the Sharks at Absa Stadium in 2002 and played three matches for them before linking with the Brumbies in 2003.

Chapman replaces Peter Kimlin, who drops back to the bench, while No.8 Julian Salvi has been named after he also suffered a cork in Johannesburg.

http://www.thewest.com.au/default.as...ntentID=132465

[Burgs]

Ooh, the drama, Super Stirling to the rescue...

[mudskipper]

A bit of player rotation... Friend must be putting is best and freshest squad on the park... Brumbies need these points and the Shark are still without Ruan Pienaar... tough match but possible they have beaten them the last…

Lealiifano may be Steyns next speed bump... previous bumps Beale, Giteau and JOC... I can't see Christian doing any better...

[blueandblack]

[youtube]2bTQcREbcyY[/youtube]

[jargan83]

If Mortlock plays and breaks down and gets rubbed out for a couple of weeks I will laugh my arse off. Wouldn't it be better to give him a weeks rest and have him for the win against the Cheetahs next week?

[GIGS20]

He's probably OK because it wasn't a concussion, I hear once you have 100 concussions you become a vegetable, has that happened for Stirlo yet?