Earlier this month Brisbane Broncos star Deine Mariner had to have emergency surgery to save his leg.
The 23-year-old developed acute compartment syndrome symptoms following the Broncos’ loss to the Sydney Roosters.
Mariner originally left the field for a corked thigh and would return to the field of play before things took a worrying turn.
Shortly after the final whistle Mariner reported pain and swelling in his upper leg where he had surgery to help relieve the pressure.
He received positive news from team doctor Matt Hislop who said that he would likely be able to return to action despite almost having his leg amputated.
And Mariner has now gone one step further, saying he wants to come back from his injury this season.
Deine Mariner posted a picture of himself on a practice field on his Instagram account hinting that he could make a return to action this season
Mariner had to have emergency surgery to help save his leg after he suffered from acute compartment syndrome following a corked thigh
‘I think we’re looking around the eight-week mark,’ Mariner said.
‘It gives me a bit more hunger to get back out there. I will always back myself to get back to my best footy, but right now I’m just focused on recovering well.
‘It’s just about getting my leg to fully bend. At the moment it’s stuck a bit, so once that opens up, I’ll be able to start moving again. That will be my main focus the next couple of weeks.’
Despite the concerns around the injury, Mariner has maintained a positive outlook and that could spur him to make his return before too long.
‘I tried to look at the bright side of things. You know, I was still breathing. I’m still alive,’ he said.
‘And I think being in ICU, I saw a lot of other people that don’t get a second chance, so I was pretty grateful to obviously have my leg.’
Mariner expressed gratitude at still having his leg, ‘To be honest, I didn’t think about it too much because when I woke up, I saw my leg still there, so I was like, ‘Oh, it’d be pretty bad if I woke up and my leg wasn’t there’,’ the Brisbane winger said.
‘But I didn’t think of it even after. I know people were saying that I could have (lost it), but I didn’t. So, you know, I’m just pretty lucky to be in this position.’
Mariner was speaking at Broncos HQ after six surgeries at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital to get his leg in condition to fly home from Sydney after suffering compartment syndrome in his right thigh. The syndrome is a condition that restricts blood flow and can lead to amputation if untreated.
‘They’ve never seen it before in the thigh. It’s pretty common in the shin I think, but even the doctors were saying that they’ve never seen this before,’ Mariner said.
‘So, you know, it’s just one of those bad luck situations. But I’ve accepted it, so it’s fine.’
He also opened up on how quickly things developed with his injury,
‘They actually gave me the early diagnosis of the compartment syndrome, which I had never heard of before.
‘They rushed me straight to hospital, so I was pretty lucky to have Luke and Matt with me.
‘I got rushed into surgery, so I didn’t really get to understand what was happening. All I knew was that there was a lot of pressure on my leg at the time.’
Mariner had a total of six surgeries as doctors worked to save his leg and now he is able to focus on making a return to the sport.
