Gold Coast Suns' half-forward Wil Powell has opened up on his long-term recovery after a gruesome ankle injury sustained during a Round 14 win over the Adelaide Crows.
Falling under the weight of a Ned McHenry tackle, Powell suffered a dislocated and fractured right ankle with ligament damage.
Powell's ankle was facing the wrong way as he left the field via the medi cab, with the injury bringing to an end what had been a promising season.
Averaging 14.7 disposals and 2.4 tackles per game to that point, Powell was forced to watch on from the sidelines as the Suns failed to qualify for what would have been the club's first finals series, the side instead finishing in 12th spot just eight points out of the top eight after a disappointing four losses in their final six games.
The 23-year-old, speaking to AFL.com.au, said that once the pain set in, it was 'excruciating.'
"I didn't feel pain at the start, I just looked at it and was in shock. My ankle was facing the wrong way and then about 10 or 15 seconds after it happened the pain set in, just excruciating, all the way up my leg," Powell said.
"It almost didn't feel real how sore it was.
"I was lucky enough the doctors came over with the green whistle pretty quick and that subdued everything."
Powell's ankle couldn't be relocated at the ground, and he would have to undergo surgery to relocate it, with the half-forward then in a plaster cast for two weeks, before spending eight weeks in a moonboot.
He said watching his team fail to make the finals drove him mad.
"It drove me mad," he said.
"I wasn't in the club for the first four to six weeks, I was just sitting at home on the couch like a potato."
It has been confirmed that Powell's rehab has gone to plan, and he will be fully integrated into training with the team after the Christmas break, with Powell in the mix for Round 1 selection.
The Gold Coast Suns open their season with a clash against the Sydney Swans.
