Richter Out For Rest Of Season

Tuesday 18th Aug, 2009

The 2009 Hyundai QSL season of Brisbane Strikers midfielder Jonti Richter has ended almost as soon as it began, after Richter suffered a serious tear to an upper quadricep early in his team’s 2-0 win over the North Queensland Razorbacks ten days ago.

Richter, who suffered the injury doing nothing more dangerous than taking a free kick, was given the news last week and is resigned to the reality that, only three weeks after fighting his way back from a long-term foot injury, he is set for another extended term on the sidelines.

“It was obviously quite devastating to be out of the game for eighteen months and then to only play three games before picking up another injury that will keep me out for ten weeks”, Richter said today.

Richter said that while he still wants to play retains ambitions to play football at the highest level possible, he was appreciative of the way the Strikers had stuck by him while he was recovering from his foot injury and that, if he remains in Brisbane, he will want to repay the club’s faith in him.

“My focus right now is to get my body right first, before getting back on the park. I would like to play at a higher level, and there is a lot of time before now and the next season, but if I’m in Brisbane it will definitely be with the Strikers”.

There is little doubt that his coach, Stuart McLaren, would be happy to keep Richter on his books. The midfielder, although short in stature, stood tall when he made his first appearance for the senior team in its must-win game against Olympic FC, before going on to help ignite sparkling displays by his team against the Whitsunday Miners and Bundaberg Spirit.

“My heart goes out to Jonti, who spent an awful long time in rehab from the foot injury’, said McLaren.

“When he did become available he burst on to the scene and his contribution, although brief, has been vital. His quality was evident and he scored some cracking goals and made a great contribution to our all-round team play. He helped us get over the line for the championship and would have been important to us in the finals as well.

“He has done more than enough to secure position for us in the QSL next year and may well be able to knock on the doors of a few A-League clubs as well”.