Natalie Von Bertouch
Australian netball captain Natalie von Bertouch requires surgery on a foot injury that has sidelined her since leading the team to the world title in July.
But the good news is that she should be fit to play with the Adelaide Thunderbirds by the start of the 2012 trans-Tasman championships.
The 28-year-old, who took over as Diamonds skipper after a serious injury to Sharelle McMahon, missed Australia’s six Tests since the Singapore title, including the final match late last month when it regained the world No.1 ranking with a series win over New Zealand.
Von Bertouch, who has had her foot in a moon-boot for the past eight weeks, will undergo surgery on Monday with a specialist confirming she needed a Sesamoid-ectamy; an operation to permanently remove one of the two Sesamoid bones in her right foot.
“I will have to wear a foot brace and I won’t be able to walk or drive for at least two weeks but I should be able to start exercising again after that with most things like swimming and cycling but no running,” von Bertouch said.
- Read the rest at the Herald Sun.