Geelong milestone man thought he was cooked
Shayne Hope |
There were moments when Jake Kolodjashnij thought he was just about cooked.
One of Geelong’s most reliable players for a decade, the premiership defender couldn’t get his body right.
But after missing all of last season through a series of groin, hip and back injuries, a perseverant Kolodjashnij finally made a successful comeback at the top level in the Cats’ win over West Coast.
And he’ll reach a long overdue milestone when he plays his 200th game in the clash with the Western Bulldogs at GMHBA Stadium on Friday night.
“If I’m being brutally honest, yeah, it was a rough trot,” Kolodjashnij, 30, recalled this week.
“I managed to work my way through it eventually but I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t a time when I thought, I might be a bit cooked here.”
Kolodjashnij carried a groin complaint through the 2024 finals series and the issue flared up during the next pre-season.
It was the start of a frustrating 18-month period, featuring several false starts and far too much time spent in the Cats’ rehabilitation group.
“My rehab was not linear at all. I had probably four or five attempts at trying to get back on the park,” Kolodjashnij said.
“I’d get back for two or three weeks and have another setback and get really sore, and then we’re back to square one.”
Kolodjashnij credits Geelong’s medical team, his partner and wider support network – including brother Kade, who played 80 games with Gold Coast and Melbourne – for guiding him back to a point where he could make an AFL return.
His 199th game felt like a second debut, almost 11 years after the first, and brought about a mix of nerves and excitement.
It took Kolodjashnij time to find his feet with the rule changes that have been introduced since his previous senior appearance in the losing 2024 preliminary final.
“I got caught out a couple of times but it was good to be back,” Kolodjashnij said.
“The standard of the AFL is quite a step up (from the VFL), and it’s been quite a while, so it just took a little bit to find my rhythm.
“But in the second half I kicked into gear a little bit more and I definitely thought I had a better half.”
Kolodjashnij will be a key part of the Geelong defence tasked with stopping a star-studded Bulldogs forward-line.
Sam Darcy and Aaron Naughton pose serious aerial threats, with a range of small forwards and goal-kicking midfielders also capable of leading the Dogs to victory.
“They’re a classy outfit with Darcy, Naughton and all their smalls,” Kolodjashnij said.
“They really support each other really well and we’re definitely going to have to bring our best game to take it to them.”
Kolodjashnij will share his milestone game with 2022 premiership teammate Mark Blicavs, who will make his 300th appearance against the Bulldogs.
AAP