By Beth Newman
Wilston Grange captain, Steve Brittain, didn’t look like a man who had missed seven weeks of football, in a best on ground performance against Sandgate.
The Rd 14 Syd Guildford Trophy nominee picked up where he left off earlier this season, before a back injury paused his season, kicking four goals in a best on ground performance.
Brittain said he was glad to finally be back on the field for his first game since Rd eight against Surfers Paradise, after what has been a “frustrating” absence.
“I did the hammy in the game against Surfers and felt reasonably good coming back after that but I hurt it again after training and wasn’t actually my hamstring it was my back,” he said.
“So having been through all that, frustrating is probably the best word for it.”
The 26 year-old has not been fortunate with injuries in recent years, missing the start of the season with a shoulder injury and also sitting out much of 2013 with a hamstring injury.
In his first season as club captain, Brittain said it was difficult to sit by and watch, without being able to have an on-field influence.
“When I did get named captain, I felt a lot of responsibility on (my) shoulders,” he said.
“It did feel like, even through it was out of my hands, I felt like I let them (my teammates) down in the fact that I wasn’t able to play.”
“To see it all unfold and there’s not much you can do about it – that was probably the hardest thing.”
Despite such a long absence, Grange coach, Matt Trewhella, said Brittain’s impressive performance came as no surprise to him.
‘Even though he misses games, he’s so professional with the way he’s trained that he’s always going to come in and make a difference,” he said.
“He looks after his body so well and he’s an exceptional character.”
While his scoreboard contribution was significant, the leadership of Brittain was crucial for his team and he said he felt like he was able to take control of team structures on the day, particularly with playing coach, Matt Trewhella our injured.
“I tried to make the most of my time on the field trying to work on the team structures during games and on the weekend, that’s what I was happiest with,” he said.
“I felt I was really able to really help push and push what Matt was really trying to go in.
Brittain hopes to make the most of the final month of the regular season, but he was just happy to make it through a game for the first time in eight weeks.
“I was really happy to get out and get a few kicks and get through without injured,” he said.
“Everything else was sore, but my hamstring was good.”
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