It was a long road back to full health after a knee injury for Max Augerinos, but playing a part in Werribee’s resounding win over Frankston in his return game on Sunday made the frustrating rehabilitation process worthwhile.
Used as a pressuring small forward, Augerinos capped an impressive return with a goal.
He was just happy to be able to run out alongside his teammates for the first time since round nine last year, when he sustained the knee injury in a game against Footscray at the Whitten Oval.
“It was real good to be out there with the boys that I’ve been training with for so long and watching their games, and being part of a good win,” he said. “It was pretty exciting.”
Augerinos did not have to wait too long for his call-up to Werribee. The 21-year-old caught the eye of selectors in four games with St Mary’s in the Geelong Football League.
He was surprised to be selected so soon, but it was a vote of confidence in him from the Werribee coaches.
“It was good to get the call-up this early and it feels real good that they have that belief in me to perform after having two knee recos,” Augerinos said.
“It gives me a lot of confidence in myself to go out there and play the roles they want me to play.”
Despite it being his second knee reconstruction, Augerinos felt the road back to football on this occasion was a lot tougher than the first.
His first knee reconstruction went smoothly and he was back in the thick of the action after eight months.
This time, Augerinos had a number of setbacks, which, at times, made him question whether his knee would ever get right.
“I was definitely less confronted by it this time, but this rehab had a lot of things different to the last one,” he said.
“The last one was pretty smooth going… whereas this one, I’d start something new and then I’d have a bit of a flare up, then I’d have to go backwards a little bit, so mentally it was a bit tough.
“It was frustrating to have that happen … and just sort of thinking ‘what’s wrong, is my knee just not going to be good any more?’
“Credit to the physios and support staff at Werribee, they got me strong and feeling real good to get back out there.”
If there was a silver lining for Augerinos, it was that he could focus more on his study.
He now has a degree and is working as a data analyst for Cotton On, a growing business in his home town of Geelong.
