Gus details miraculous turnaround after scary Crichton moment
Phil Gould has opened up on Stephen Crichton’s extraordinary turnaround, just days after the Bulldogs captain was stretchered off against Canberra.
The 25-year-old was forced from the field due to an awkward collision that left him struggling with numbness and a burning sensation down his arm.
Bulldogs captain Stephen Crichton had to be stretchered off the field during his side’s loss to the Raiders. NRL Photos
While it made for scary scenes for Canterbury fans and his teammates, Crichton was cleared of any major injury after the 40-16 loss.
However, what few could have expected was seeing Crichton named in the Dogs’ 23-man squad for their must-win clash against the Wests Tigers.
Speaking on Wide World Of Sports’ Six Tackles with Gus, the club’s general manager detailed the tense moments on the turf and the medical team’s intervention.
“I just think the way that he was hit there was an extension of his arm, pulled down, maybe stretched the nerve a little bit there and he got a numbness and a burn down his arm and he went down,” Gould said.
“When the doctor got out there and he [Crichton] explained his symptoms to the doctor, the doctor said ‘don’t move’ and he said ‘no I’ll get up, I’m OK’ and the doctor said ‘don’t move’ ... that’s when they put him on the medi-cab.
Gould revealed Crichton was “up and walking” around the sheds just moments after the incident and “asked to be named in the squad” for this Saturday’s game.
“The doctor said he was being cautious. I don’t think you can be overly cautious in that sort of situation given his history, I think the doctor was mindful that maybe there’d been a bad knock there,” the Bulldogs boss said.
“The minute the medi-cab got into the dressing room, they turned around and Crichton got up off the table. He sat up straight away himself.
“He walked around after that. Now, he’s been sore and it’s obviously going to be painful, but the MRI thankfully showed no deterioration since the last time and the injury itself is very much manageable. He did train yesterday, no contact ... I saw him out there just doing the passing drills and everything like that.
“He’s a very tough and resilient young man.”
With the desperate Bulldogs sitting 11th on the ladder, Crichton’s potential for a quick recovery to face the Tigers would be welcome news, but nothing is guaranteed at this stage and he remains an outside chance of lining up.
The concern for Crichton stems from a history of nerve damage and disc issues, but Gould explained that it wasn’t uncommon for many players.
Stephen Crichton is stretchered from the field. NRL Photos
“(Crichton) does have a couple of very minor bulging discs, nothing that’s impacting on the spinal column,” Gus said.
“It’s not dangerous. Plenty of players would have similar out there. It’s something that needs to be treated and looked after obviously, but most players have wear and tear injuries like that ... they’ve just got to manage their loads and be careful.
“Full credit to the medical team, they put player welfare before the team and made sure that he was looked after.”
