Young league star out of hospital

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34104, 17 March 1976, Page 38

Young league star out of hospital

(By

JOHN COFFEY)

The young New’ Zealand rugby league forward, Ray Baxendale (West Coast), would make no claim to being psychic, but he has the unusual distinction of having made an appointment to consult a specialist even before suffering the injury which requited him to undergo surgery.

Baxendale's chapter of i mishaps began when he was forced to leave the field during the international cham-j pionship match against England at Bradford in October, and hopefully neared their end when he was released from Greymouth Hospital yesterday.

■ There was concern that I Baxendale had quite seiriously damaged his right ; knee at Bradford — he W’as not available to play in the Welsh test a week later —

and on his return to Greymouth he decided to seek medical advice. But between the time that the appointment was made, and when it was kept, Baxendale twisted his left knee on the .equash court. It was this mishap, then, which took precedence when the specialists made his examination.

The diagnosis suggested that Baxendale have the inner cartilage of his left knee removed, and he jentered hospital on February il6 hardly expecting that he (would be detained for a | month.

( However, there were com- ■ plications and Baxendale (was placed in the isolation ward for two weeks while an infection in the wound was cured. When he was released yesterday, his left leg had wasted to the extent that it was about lin less in circumference than his ■right leg, and his weight had

dropped from !4st 3!b to; 12st 41b.

“The injury to the left leg was an old one that first happened in the under-15 grade,” Baxendale said. “Theknee has not been over-

strong since then, but it just went on me without warning while I was playing squash. “At the moment, I have no idea when I will be able to get back ,on the football field. There is still quite a bit of swelling around the (knee itself, and I have been told that it will be alright

i again when I can left a 121 b weight with my leg 40

times.” It will be exercises such as this which lie ahead of Baxendale as he begins his bid to regain full fitness. There has already been some benefit — his right knee seems to be completely recovered as a result of the physiotherapy he has undertaken, and there are no longer any after-effects of the injury suffered in England. Fortunately for Baxendale, he has time to recover before West Coast meets the first of its major representative commitments this year. It will make its entry into, the restyled national tournament against either of the minor leagues, Otago or Marlborough, at home in July, and should have no trouble advancing to the southern final against Canterbury at Christchurch in August. Assisting West Coast to

reach the national grand final — w’hen it would probably have both the chance of repeating last season’s success over Auckland and earn entry into the 1977 Amco Cup contest — will be Baxendale’s main target in the months- ahead. There are no international fixtures programmed until the next World Cup series in Australia and New Zealand in about 14 months, and plans for a New Zealand under-23 squad — for which Baxendale would have been eligible and an automatic selection — to travel to Australia have not reached fruitBaxendale had a memorable season in 1975. He was a surprise choice for the brief tour of Australia, but went on to make 12 appearances (seven of them in tests) in the New Zealand second-row, and he and his fellow Kiwi forward, Tony Coll, were joint winners of the West Coast "sportsman of the year” award.