Star Saint likely to miss rest of season
STAR St Kilda defender Dylan Roberton looks set to miss the rest of the season, as doctors try to get to the bottom of the cause of his irregular heartbeat. The 26-year-old collapsed on field during the Saints' round four loss to Geelong, but initially told reporters after a stay in Epworth Hospital that he hoped to be sidelined for just the one game. But, the father of three confirmed at Moorabbin on Thursday morning that he would be out of action for an extended period, with doctors to track his heart for the next three months.
STAR St Kilda defender Dylan Roberton looks set to miss the remainder of the season after collapsing on field during the round four loss to Geelong. "I probably won't get back again (to playing) this year, but I'm hoping at the end of this three months to get back to exercising and hopefully finish off the year back training with the boys," said Roberton. "I've had a little device implanted in my chest, sort of like the size of a battery, which just feeds in what my heart's doing to the doctors and all their computers." "They'll be able to pick up what's happening and then, with the testing, they'll be able to put all that information together and make a decision going from there." He found it 'weird' and 'pretty shocking' watching the vision of him collapsing on the news, but retains no memory of the incident. Despite facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines, Roberton remains optimistic that he will kick a football in anger down the line. "I feel fine, but still there's hope that it's just going to be fine and I'll be fine, whereas if there was a diagnosis that it was no good, that would be pretty hard to hear," Roberton said. "But, I'm hoping everything's going to go well and with all the testing over the next three months I'll get the all-clear." "I'm sure it's a possibility (I won't play again), but I've just got that hope I'll be back one day and I'm sure I will." "Footy means a lot to me, but obviously being healthy and being there for my kids is the most important thing." Roberton is permitted to do some light exercise during the next three months. Saints coach Alan Richardson said Roberton - who is undertaking the Level Two coaching course - would work with the club's developing defenders in the meantime. "Our priority (is) to make sure he's in really good shape," Richardson said. "We are really hopeful and to some extent optimistic at the back end of this three months he gets the all-clear and...we take the whistle back and he puts his footy boots back on." Read the full article
