Matt Bowen 2008 season is over

[Retread]

Bowen to miss about 3 weeks with his knee injury.

[Retread]

Bowen blow for Cowboys
By Jim Morton

NORTH Queensland's gamble to rush Matt Bowen back has backfired with the livewire fullback being ruled out for at least three weeks.
The Cowboys have been forced to rest Bowen after he suffered yet another setback with his lingering knee injury.
The club admits surgery is a must for the 26-year-old, who made a surprise return in the loss to Souths last weekend only to suffer extra swelling in the joint.
But medical staff believe he may be able to wait until the end of the season for an operation, hoping a lengthy rest could help get him through.
"We're not going to hide the fact that Matt will need an operation at the end of the year but our job is to look after Matt to get as many games out of him as possible," said Cowboys athletic performance manager Glen Murphy.
"We'll be trying to get (Bowen) near 100 per cent every game we can.
"In that three weeks he'll have intensive physiotherapy and we'll be doing a lot of cross training to keep his fitness up."
North Queensland's decision virtually puts Bowen, a possible Queensland bench option, out of contention for the Maroons side for at least the first two matches in the State of Origin series.
Bowen will miss this weekend's home clash with Cronulla and their round 10 encounter with Many at Brookvale Oval before a round 11 bye.
A previous rest worked, with Bowen returning in blistering fashion and scoring a hat-trick against the Warriors in Townsville last month.
He missed the next match against Melbourne but then was a late inclusion against the Rabbitohs.
"He's still got swelling on the knee," Murphy said. "We gave him a couple of weeks off there and that helped.
"He came back against the Warriors in good form and we just hope this extended period away from the game will help even more.
"We'll re-assess it after the bye.
"The swelling was down before the game but it came straight back again."

Struggling Cowboy: Matt Bowen in action during the loss to the Rabbitohs on Sunday.

[Retread]

Matty out to delay surgery
ANTONY STEWART

RESTED . . . injured Cowboys livewire Matty Bowen in action against Souths


MATT Bowen will be rested for at least the next three weeks as the Cowboys desperately try to avoid forcing their star fullback into surgery before the end of the season.
The talented 26-year-old has been a shadow of the player who baffled opponents with his incredible footwork on his way to becoming the game's leading try-scorer in 2007.
With his knee, which underwent an arthroscopy during the off-season, giving him trouble _ through swelling _ Bowen has struggled to perform consistently.
He has been a week-by-week prospect for most games this season but after he limped badly against South Sydney on Sunday it was decided the risk was no longer worth it.
Cowboys athlete performance manager Glen Murphy said Bowen would require surgery to clean up loose cartilage in his knee at some stage.
However it was hoped a minimum three-week break may delay surgery until the off-season.
"We're not going to hide the fact that Matthew will need an operation at the end of the year, but our job is to look after Matthew so that we can get as many games out of him as possible," Murphy said.
"And this is the way the coaching staff and the medical staff have decided to go."
Bowen will be rested from this weekend's game against Cronulla and then the following week against Manly before being assessed after North Queensland's round 11 bye.
During that time the 10-time Queensland Origin representative will be restricted to low impact training and intensive physiotherapy, but that still may not guarantee his return.
"We will reassess it after the bye, we'll have a good look at it and the medical staff will make a decision," Murphy said.
Bowen missed consecutive games in round four and five and came back against the New Zealand Warriors at his blistering best, scoring three tries.
Murphy said he hoped for a similar, but more long- term result from Bowen's upcoming break away from the playing field.
"We gave him a couple of weeks off a couple of weeks ago and that helped," he said.
"He came back against the Warriors in good form and we're just hoping this extended period away from the game will help it even more."
Meanwhile, Shane Tronc will return to contact training today after spending the the past few weeks sidelined with a shoulder injury.

[Retread]

Bowen injury diagnosis

Cowboys star fullback Matt Bowen will be rested for three weeks and will undergo surgery at the end of the year to resolve his troubling knee injury.
Bowen presented swelling in the knee again during tests yesterday, with three weeks' rest prescribed.
His match readiness will be reviewed after the round 11 bye for a potential return in the Panthers match at Dairy Farmers Stadium on Saturday 31 May.
"We'll be looking after the best interests of Matthew and the football team by resting him for the three weeks, then reviewing the injury week by week,” Cowboys Athletic Performance Manager Glen Murphy said yesterday.

[Marty]

I wonder how long the recovery would be if he had the operation now. They might regret wasting 3 weeks if he pulls up lame again when he returns to the field. It has been a shame that Bowen has been injured, I miss watching his magic. Although I wasn't complaining last weekend.

[Retread]

Originally Posted by Marty

I wonder how long the recovery would be if he had the operation now. They might regret wasting 3 weeks if he pulls up lame again when he returns to the field. It has been a shame that Bowen has been injured, I miss watching his magic. Although I wasn't complaining last weekend.

If he had the op now he'd most likely miss the whole season.
If his knee keeps swelling up after a game he'll be rested a lot this year. Maybe it's better to get it done now.

[Retread]

Bowen not keen on surgery
JOSH ALSTON

Matty Bowen


SURGERY is the last thing on Cowboy Matt Bowen's mind despite his latest injury scare.
The North Queensland fullback was ruled out for a further three weeks on Tuesday after his knee flared up again after Sunday's game against South Sydney.
The Hope Vale flyer will spend the next three weeks on an exercise bike and in the gym as he hopes to recover from the injury and even make a belated play at State of Origin selection this year.
Cowboys medical staff concede surgery will more than likely be the only thing that can fix his suspect knee for good, but they remain hopeful that will not happen this season.
Bowen doesn't even want to consider the possibility of going under the knife this AND season remains confident he can return to the paddock and to his best form.
Bowen spoke to the Townsville Bulletin this week about the road to recovery ahead of him.

[Retread]

Cowboys' Bowen out for extended break
ANTONY STEWART


Matt Bowen

FROM tough to near impossible, the season just refuses to get any easier for the Cowboys.
In desperate need of some on-field brilliance as their season slips away, North Queensland will have to do it without Matt Bowen until at least round 17.
Bowen, who has been hampered by a knee problem all season, has finally been forced to give into the injury and will go under the knife today.
Cowboys athlete performance manager Glen Murphy confirmed the star fullback would undergo an arthroscopy – a repeat of the surgery he had in the off-season.
With the club's season already on life support following their heartbreaking extra-time loss to Penrith on Saturday, the extended loss of Bowen comes as another major blow.
The decision to book Bowen in with Dr John McGuire was made late last week.
"They're just going to do a bit of a clean-up on his knee and hopefully he can play the rest of the season," Murphy said yesterday.
"We're hoping (Bowen will be back in round 17) but we have got to see how it goes."
Bowen was crowned the Rugby League Professionals Association's player of the year in 2007 after an outstanding season which included finishing as leading try-scorer.
But apart from a sensational three-try effort against the New Zealand Warriors in round six, the 26-year-old Hope Vale product has been a shadow of his brilliant self in 2008.
Just how much Bowen was struggling came to the fore in North Queensland's round eight loss to South Sydney when he begun limping badly late in the game.
Cowboys medical staff ruled Bowen out for three weeks a few days later in the hope the rest would allow the former Queensland representative to avoid surgery.
But in the end it just delayed the inevitable.
"He still had swelling in the knee after the rest, after he started running during the week, so we just thought it would be best if he went back and saw John (McGuire)," Murphy said.
"From there John suggested this (surgery) was the way we should go."
In other injury news, Steve Southern underwent scans on his dislocated shoulder yesterday and the medical staff are expecting to know the full extent of the damage today.
No matter what the results, though, the back-rower will be unavailable for the Cowboys' round 13 clash with the Wests Tigers on Saturday night.
The 26-year-old left the field in the extra-time period against Penrith clutching at the same shoulder he had reconstructed in the off-season.


Meanwhile, Scott Bolton was yesterday named in the Queensland Residents team to play New South Wales Residents in the curtain-raiser to State or Origin II next week.

Queensland Residents team: Nick Parfitt (Burleigh); Kaine Manihera (Redcliffe); Brett Kelly (Souths); Karl Johnson (Central Comets); Kyle Lodge (Souths); Brad Davis (c) (Tweed); Josh Lewis (Ipswich); Isaak Ah Mau (Ipswich); Ian Lacey (Ipswich); Scott Bolton (Northern Pride); Martin Griese (Burleigh); Luke Swain (Tweed); Luke Dalziel-Don (Wynnum). Interchange: Selasi Berdie (Tweed); Lewis Balcomb (Souths); 16. Clint Amos (Tweed); Adam Fielder (Burleigh).

[aleeex]

Better to bite the bullet and get it over and done with.

[Retread]

Originally Posted by aleeex

Better to bite the bullet and get it over and done with.

It should of been done earlier in the season when his knee started playing up instead of nursing him through every week and he could of been playing now.

[Harko83]

So true Retread, cannot understand why they kept him in for so long, risking further damage.

[Retread]

I think Matt and the club will be regretting not getting it done earlier.
Those are the risks you take trying to get your star playing every week.

[Retread]

The Cowboys confirmed they have sent cartilage from Matt Bowen's troublesome knee to Perth to be regrown ahead of post-season surgery.
The re-grown cartilage will enable Bowen to have surgery as soon as North Queensland's season is over.

[Hancock02]

Originally Posted by Retread

The Cowboys confirmed they have sent cartilage from Matt Bowen's troublesome knee to Perth to be regrown ahead of post-season surgery.
The re-grown cartilage will enable Bowen to have surgery as soon as North Queensland's season is over.

How does that work Tread? why does it need to go to Perth. How does it mean you can have an op post season?

[Retread]

Originally Posted by Hancock02

How does that work Tread? why does it need to go to Perth. How does it mean you can have an op post season?

I don't know much about it and apparently the place in Perth are the leaders in this procedure.
What I have been told is that a piece of the cartilage is cut away and grown into a new bigger piece which can be used to replace the whole cartilage or just the torn section depending how bad it is.
His knee must be nearly bone on bone.

[Hancock02]

Originally Posted by Retread

I don't know much about it and apparently the place in Perth are the leaders in this procedure.
What I have been told is that a piece of the cartilage is cut away and grown into a new bigger piece which can be used to replace the whole cartilage or just the torn section depending how bad it is.
His knee must be nearly bone on bone.

Ta, I checked with a friend that is a Dr and she said that Cartilage can be grown but can't grow naturally so if he has none they would have to grow some to put it back into his knee. She also said the same about it being bone on bone and also mentioned he is going to have a lifetime of painful arthritis to look froward to in later life.

[Harko83]

They did the same with Ty with his last knee injury.

[Thurston08]

i hope that doesnt mean hes gonna play as poorly as ty does nowadays

[Retread]

In brief - Matt Bowen injury update

Matt Bowen is continuing his recovery from an arthroscopy a few weeks ago and is doing all the training and physiotherapy that the Coaching department are asking of him.
The medical staff will review his playing situation during the week commencing Monday 7 July and we may see him back on the field after that.

[Retread]

Matt Bowen to miss entire 2008 season



North Queensland fullback Matt Bowen will miss the rest of the NRL season to undergo groundbreaking surgery to repair cartilage in his troublesome right knee.
The former Queensland representative has struggled to take the field this season following off-season surgery and a follow up procedure after his last game against South Sydney in round eight.
"We have exhausted all avenues to get Matthew back on the field this season and it is in his best interests that we go down this path to get him back to full fitness,"said Cowboys football manager Dean Lance.
"At all times our players come first and when you are dealing with someone of Matthew’s ability and standing in the club it is important that we do the right thing."
Bowen will undergo surgery next month where cartilage that was harvested from Bowen's knee and has been growing on an artificial matrix will be used to repair the damaged area.
It is expected Bowen will be ready to take to the field for the start of 2009 after a six-to-nine month recovery period.
The loss of Bowen for the rest of 2008 is another significant blow to a disastrous year for the Cowboys as they sit second last on the NRL table and are riding a seven-game losing streak.

[nadyone]

Dead set shame that one of the game's true entertainers & match winners will miss the remainder of the season.
Did he get proper surgery in the off season or just a clean up?

[Retread]

Bowen had clean-up surgery on both knees in the off-season

[Retread]

Bowen to miss rest of season

North Queensland Toyota Cowboys fullback Matt Bowen will miss the rest of season 2008 and undergo knee surgery as soon as possible.
The decision was announced today by General Manager – Football Dean Lance.
"We have exhausted all avenues to get Matthew back on the field this season and it is in his best interests that we go down this path to get him back to full fitness," Lance said.
"At all times our players come first and when you are dealing with someone of Matthew’s ability and standing in the club it is important that we do the right thing."
Bowen has been troubled with the knee injury for a number of weeks and it was first thought that some rest and minor surgery would help overcome the problem until the end of this season.
Treatment, however, has not seen the injury improve.
Club doctor Kevin Arlett explained the basics of the procedure.
"Matthew has damage to the articular cartilage in his left knee. The minor surgery has not assisted with this problem and we are planning to repair this area of damage," Arlett said.
"We have harvested some cartilage from his knee which is being grown on an artificial matrix and this will be used to repair the damage in a further surgical operation."
Bowen’s recovery is likely to be enhanced by his youth and fitness level, and it is expected that he would be fit early in season 2009.

[West End Athletics]

Man ...Can it get any worst....Maybe, Bluey the mascot will be newted !!!!!!!

[Retread]

Bowen out for season
© The Cairns Post

North Queensland fullback Matt Bowen will miss the rest of the NRL season to undergo groundbreaking surgery to repair cartilage in his troublesome right knee.
The former Queensland representative has struggled to take the field this season following off-season surgery and a follow up procedure after his last game against South Sydney in round eight.
Bowen will undergo surgery next month where cartilage that was harvested from Bowen`s knee and has been growing on an artificial matrix will be used to repair the damaged area.
It is expected Bowen will be ready to take to the field for the start of 2009 after a six-to-nine month recovery period.
The loss of Bowen for the rest of 2008 is another significant blow to a disastrous year for the Cowboys as they sit second last on the NRL table and are riding a seven-game losing streak.
In other Cowboys news, Northern Pride forward Greg Byrnes has been rewarded for an impressive season with a call-up to the North Queensland side to take on the Melbourne Storm in Melbourne this Saturday night.
Byrnes left for Townsville today to join the Cowboys in preparations for Saturday night’s clash.
According to Dunemann it was a well deserved elevation to the Cowboys NRL squad.
"Byrnesy has been absolutely outstanding and one of our best week in week out this year," he said.
"He does all the little things and basics extremely well and is one of the hardest workers in our forward pack.
"He is tough and aggressive and his ball skills have also started to develop this season adding another dimension to his game.
"We have said all along that we are here to provide a pathway to the NRL for players and we have proven that this year.
"While it’s tough for us to lose him, it gives another local player a chance which is also good for the development of our local players.
"I am stoked about Greg’s call up to the Cowboys and he goes with our blessing.
"I know he will do the job for them."