QUEANBEYAN Blues captain Jordan Hammond says he is determined to play on next year despite recently succumbing to the third season-ending injury of his short career.
The 24-year-old went down inside the opening 15 minutes of the Blues round 15 clash against the Woden Valley Rams at Phillip Oval last Saturday.
MRI scans are expected to confirm Hammond has torn his Anterior Cruciate Ligament – the same injury that recently brought an early end to Queanbeyan Kangaroos skipper Aaron Gorrell’s season.
Hammond has been hit particularly hard with injuries having already torn his ACL once previously as a 17-year-old while a part of the Canberra Raiders development program.
Two years ago the hooker tore his pectoral muscle during a trial game putting him out of action for the entire season. And last year the talented dummy half was plagued with knee troubles after dislocating his kneecap.
But Hammond said he was undaunted by his latest setback and is setting his sights on a return to the paddock in 2013.
“I’ll be back next year for sure,” he said. “It’s pretty devastating at the moment but there’s not much you can do about it. You’ve just got to try and stay confident and to stay positive.”
For the full story see this week's edition of The Queanbeyan Age.