Dragons Pick Injured Head's Nimble Brain
Sun Herald
Sunday June 19, 2005
INJURED halfback Mathew Head will join the Dragons coaching staff for the rest of the season, such is the regard the club's players and officials have for him.
Head, 23, will have a knee reconstruction on Wednesday after tearing his anterior cruciate in the win over the Cowboys last weekend. He will not play again this season. But he is considered such an asset he will sit in on video analysis sessions with coach Nathan Brown and be in the coaching box on game days. "I've spoken to Browny about keeping involved and those are some of the things we've discussed," Head said. "I'm shattered about what has happened but I've got to stay positive about it all. I'm a young bloke and you don't want to have time on the sideline, but it should help with my development as a player. "It is a way of staying involved and contributing to the team. I may only be able to help out with little things but every bit helps. "It should help me to read the game better and I'm looking forward to seeing how Browny and the coaching staff do things." Dragons chief executive Peter Doust said he was convinced Head would make a significant off-field contribution to any Dragons success this year. Last season the club displayed the belief they had in Head's talents when they retained him ahead of the promising Brett Firman. "We see him as a very important part of the future of this club," Doust said. "He has a wonderful football brain and we want to keep him involved while he is recuperating." A knee injury is the second serious drama Head has had to deal with in the past nine months. In October he was struck down by pneumonia and had an inflamed liver, and there were fears he could miss a significant chunk of this season. But he shrugged off his ill health to show in 10 games this season why he is rated one of the most promising youngsters in the game. A highlight was a matchwinning performance in the match against the Roosters on Anzac Day. Since his latest misfortune Head has turned for advice to Dragons veteran Shaun Timmins, who overcame a battle with knee injuries to resurrect his career. "He was pretty down during the week and I told him it might look like a long road back but it will all happen pretty quickly," Timmins said. "I missed half of 2000 and all of 2001 because of knee injuries but that seems like a lifetime ago. "It was something that hardened my resolve and made me appreciate my footy more. I'm sure it will do the same for him."
© 2005 Sun Herald