Torquay co-captain James Darke has labelled undergoing surgery on a broken hand just over a month after returning from a knee injury that cost him a spot in the club’s 2023 premiership team as a “decent mental challenge”.
The four-time Les Ash medalist was sidelined with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament when the Tigers put the disappointment of their 2022 capitulation behind them against Drysdale last year.
And Darke thought that would be the chase again when, after only his sixth game back, he found himself going under the knife again.
“I’ve got a bit of stuff going on in my personal life with a young daughter as well,” he said.
“All (is) going well, but there’s lots happening.
“Still, thinking about footy heaps and wondering whether I’ll be able to get back… it’s been a bit of a challenge, but one I’ve tried to embrace.
“I feel like what hasn’t got me out for the year has made me stronger, hopefully, and more resilient come game day.”
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Darke’s return in the second semi-final was disappointing for both player and club.
A seven-point loss to Anglesea – just Torquay’s second defeat of the season – forced the Tigers into a preliminary final meeting with Drysdale.
With the clash with the Hawks successfully negotiated, Darke can see the silver lining of getting another match under his belt and a look at the grand final venue, Leopold Memorial Park.
“We hope it’s an advantage,” he said.
“It was good to play on Leopold; it’s definitely a different deck to Portarlington.
“Hopefully, that plays into our hands a bit.”
Despite being sidelined from last year’s decider, Darke still found himself on the podium, helping co-captain Ben McNamara and coach Dom Gleeson lift last year’s premiership cup.
He’s keen to be there again this year, but wearing the competition’s best-known no.60 jumper and marking consecutive Torquay premierships for the first time since 1987.
Darke says winning back-to-back flags is tough to do.
“After winning one, you’re like, ‘I could win a few more of these’,” he said.
“Then, you release as your career goes on, that they’re so hard to win; things come up, people get injured, Covid happened.
“There’s just so many things that can get in the way.
“We’d be very grateful to win another.”
X: @krockfootball
