Gordon on ice but right to rip
Travis Meyn | 08:04am July 25, 2012
WHILE his Titans teammates hit the training paddock to finetune their preparations during the week, Kevin Gordon sits in the Centre of Excellence with ice strapped to his knee.
It's been a familiar scenario for the fan favourite this year, who has been plagued by the after-effects of last season's knee reconstruction.
Gordon was struck down by an anterior cruciate ligament rupture in round 2 of last year and he is still yet to return to the force he was before.
The 22-year-old flyer has been in solid form since returning in round 4 this season but admits the struggles of a constantly aching knee are taking their toll.
Gordon copped a knock in the Titans' loss to the Warriors recently and getting ready for matches has been a struggle since.
He missed the team's field session yesterday and revealed he would be battling inflammation and scar tissue for the rest of the season.
Gordon will have surgery in the off-season.
"I've been icing it up and resting it up during the week until the day before game day when I get a session in," he said.
"I should be right until the end of the season. I just can't train a lot. It's more physio and rehab.
"The kneecap is never loose. It's always locked up. It makes it really sore."
Despite the constant pain Gordon has played every match since his return.
Coach John Cartwright has been thrilled with his left winger but Gordon has been more critical of his form.
"I could be doing a bit better," he said.
"You know you haven't trained all week but you have to try and stay confident."
Gordon has scored six tries in his 14 appearances this year and is averaging just under 100m a match.
The Skilled Park faithful are yet to see him streak away with a sizzling intercept but Gordon knows it will happen. It's just a matter of time.
"I've been pretty happy. Since I made my comeback I've played every game. I'm pretty happy about that," he said.
Gordon will partner Steve Michaels on the left edge against the Roosters on Friday with Greg Bird named to make his comeback from a troublesome pectoral injury.
Lock Ashley Harrison will miss at least another week with his broken big toe still too painful to play but Ben Ridge will return from a minor pectoral tear.