Dolphins, Maroons dealt heavy blow with Tom Gilbert ruled out for season
Dolphins gun Tom Gilbert has declared he will have "no excuses" heading into 2024, as he heads into what he's declared as a six-month pre-season.
Gilbert on Tuesday confirmed his season is over and will undergo surgery on the shoulder injury from Origin I
In a video released by the Dolphins, Gilbert revealed a bone fragment was broken off when he dislocated his shoulder while trying to tackle Brian To'o. He said the broken fragment is too unstable to heal unassisted.
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Gilbert explained To'o "wrong footed" him, and he initially thought he'd suffered a "frozen shoulder".
Tom Gilbert was forced from the field mid-way through the first half of Origin I. Getty
"It went cold and numb. I tried to move it around, and it kind of rolled and clunked back in," he said.
"At that point I knew I'd dislocated it having done that before. I knew it probably wasn't going to be the best news.
"In my head I wanted to try to play on, but I couldn't get any strength or movement back into it and that was my night done."
Despite the setback, Gilbert remained pragmatic. He said he would use the break to work on his mental health, and would also pay a closer eye to coaching staff with an eye beyond the end of his career.
"The biggest connotation that comes with injury is the negatives of being on the sidelines; time by yourself, long days of rehab, doing things you don't want to do," he said.
"I know that doesn't work for me (but) I'm positive about the opportunity I get. I get to get other parts of my body right, I get to work on this shoulder and left shoulder as well.
"I'm still 22 so hopefully to have some time off from footy without the collisions and without the constant week-in-week-out grind, it will hopefully prolong my career.
"I get the opportunity to get stuck into some mental stuff as well … freshen up, change a few things, find some new habits.
"That's a positive attribution you get when it comes to rehab. You don't really get six months off from footy usually, and you don't want it but when it does happen, what you can control is what you spend that six months doing."
The Dolphins travel to Manly to take on the Sea Eagles on Friday night.
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