The horrible injury that Collingwood hero overcame to assist Pies win the AFL grand game has been revealed.
- Jeremy Howe played with three broken ribs in the grand final
- READ: Collingwood beat Brisbane to win the premiership
- READ: Inside Magpies’ premiership celebrations
Collingwood defender Jeremy Howe has played out their stunning AFL grand final win with three fractured ribs, just six months after suffering a horrific arm injury.
Early in the last quarter of the Magpies’ historic four-point victory, a huge bump from Brisbane Lions star Charlie Cameron left Howe on the MCG turf.
Howe had to leave the field following the incident, but returned to finish the game in obvious pain.
‘Three shattered ribs should do it,’ he told AAP.
‘They’re clicking like crazy. It isn’t perfect.’
Howe admitted to feeling’s***house’ while nursing a beer in the rowdy Collingwood rooms.
But nothing beats landing awkwardly from a marking fight against Geelong in the first match of the season.
The 33-year-old was stretchered off the field after breaking his arm in a rare accident that was considered too terrible to be shown live.
An illness pushed back Howe’s rehabilitation less than two weeks after surgery, leaving him unsure about his future.
‘To be honest, I’m probably thinking about hanging (the boots). ‘My arm was pretty terrible for the first six weeks,’ he said.
‘I truly thought about everything, it’s incredible what thoughts run through your head – mostly negative ones.’
Winning a grand final was not one of the things Howe considered.
But, with the help of his wife Kahlia, he bounced back to play every game from round 15 against Adelaide on his way to winning the premiership.
The important defender was instrumental in Collingwood’s defense, with 24 disposals, seven intercept possessions, and four score involvements while gaining a team-high 591m.
‘It’s now in the books,’ he remarked.
‘Getting back at all was going to be a huge benefit, but this? This is difficult to describe. I’m not sure if it’s true.
‘I’m just grateful to be able to share it with my family since they’re the ones that got me through it.
‘My wife, in particular, sees me at my worst, and that (arm injury) was undoubtedly my worst.
‘She got me through, got me back, gave me the kick in the arse I needed, and the rest is history,’ she says.
