Josh Piddington is desperate to get back on the field this season and help Lambton Jaffas with "unfinished business" as he recovers from shocking facial injuries.
The 35-year-old was bumped then hit a portable bench and fell headfirst into a netting pole at Northern NSW Football's Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility when trying to head a corner kick during the rain-swept 2-1 NPL win over Broadmeadow on July 13.
Piddington sustained a nasty gash to his eyelid as well as fractures to the side and floor of his orbital wall. He had surgery at John Hunter Hospital the following day.
"I had some plates and screws put in and they had to pull pieces of bone out and reshape them, and build me back together," said Piddington, after having stitches removed from his eyelid on Tuesday.
He said scans also revealed a small piece of bone floating in his right knee capsule but he was confident of playing through that injury.
It was feared Piddington's season was over but the defender was hopeful of a return after a follow up with his doctor last Thursday.
"He said if you were an amateur in an everyday league, you would need three months on the sideline," he said. "I think he saw on my face my heart sink, but he said obviously you're not at that level.
"I made it clear my intention would be to play some part in the season. He mentioned around the six-week mark for recovery, but there are obviously a lot of factors.
"He said there was the possibility of bring that in closer but that will be another appointment with the top surgeon next week. We'll talk about the risks, but my plan would be getting back into some running with the team next week.
"I'm banking on that six-week mark as go-time and a bit of luck has gone my way with the two-week extension of the season. I'm looking at the catch-up round and the last game against Maitland, then the finals hopefully."
He was desperate to be part of the Jaffas' busy finish as they chase back-to-back premierships. They are six points off top spot with three games in hand.
"It's been a frustrating year with stop-starts with training and playing, the washouts, after a year that was cut short because of COVID," he said.
"I had a broken nose late last year that would have kept me out for a couple of weeks, then to have this, it's frustrating. This one probably is even more so than last year because it came about because of something that shouldn't have been there. Slipping on that bench ... I fully believe if that wasn't there, I would have gone into the mesh fencing and got on with the game.
"All I want to do is get back on the field and win something again. I feel like there's some unfinished business at the Jaffas, until we outright win a trophy. There was all of that talk at the end of last year that it was handed to us and we didn't earn it, so to go and do it properly this year would be much better."
NNSWF told the Herald it had contacted the Jaffas regarding Piddington's injuries but was unable to provide comment on his accident.
Meanwhile, Piddington was grateful to have received great support from people across the league as well as friends and family.
Regardless of the doctors' advice on this year, he was keen to play on next season.
He was the Jaffas' player of the year last season after coming to the club late in pre-season.
A 300-plus game player at Broadmeadow and a multiple trophy-winning captain, he had returned to Magic for training after a year off but then switched to Jaffas.
He said he had no hard feelings against Broadmeadow but he was glad to have made the move.
"It wasn't lining up how I wanted it to be, or thought it would be [at Magic], so I came over to the Jaffas and it was the exact change I needed in terms of a freshen up," he said.
"Getting in with a new group and meeting new people. I've made some good mates out of it, so I'm really proud that I stood up and made that decision, and just didn't go along with what was happening at Magic."
