Jordan Roughead dislocated his shoulder up to 15 times in ONE YEAR and has now admitted his regrets

Jordan Roughead dislocated his shoulder up to 15 times in ONE YEAR as he reveals the big mistake he made that cut his career short – and why he always felt like an ‘impostor’ in footy

  • The former Bulldogs and Collingwood defender recently retired from the AFL
  • His decision came after a failed comeback from repeated shoulder injuries
  • Roughead has revealed the moment early in his career that destroyed the joint
  • He has regrets over that decision – and says he felt like an impostor at times

When Collingwood defender and 2016 Western Bulldogs premiership winner Jordan Roughead returned to the AFL from shoulder surgery against the Brisbane Lions in April, he knew the writing was on the wall.

He had surgery on the shoulder in February in a last-gasp effort to save his AFL career but in his heart of hearts, he already knew it was over.

Roughead officially retired from the AFL last week after 201 games including the 2016 decider. 

Roughead leaves the field injured in 2014. It was part of a long history of shoulder injuries that included as many as 15 dislocations in 2011 alone.

Roughead leaves the field injured in 2014. It was part of a long history of shoulder injuries that included as many as 15 dislocations in 2011 alone.

He will struggle with shoulder issues for the rest of his life, revealing that he has arthritis and there is no way to replace the cartilage that he lost.

And he can trace it back to one fatal decision back in 2014. 

‘In the 2014 season I reckon I dislocated it, or subluxed it, my right shoulder, a dozen to 15 times throughout the year,’ Roughead told AFL.com.au.

‘I should have listened to the advice and got it fixed at the start of the season but I wanted to see out the year and I’ve now got osteoarthritis as a result.

‘Unfortunately they can’t generate the cartilage that I need back in there.’

Roughead  poses for a photograph in the teams Indigenous guernsey during the 2022 Sir Doug Nicholls Round Launch at the Melbourne Cricket Ground

Roughead  poses for a photograph in the teams Indigenous guernsey during the 2022 Sir Doug Nicholls Round Launch at the Melbourne Cricket Ground

Roughead admits he is coming to grips with the long-term effects of that decision, including waking up in the middle of the night with pain that is so bad he can’t go back to sleep. 

‘The night aches and night pain is the thing that I struggle the most with,’ he said.

‘It keeps me up when I go to bed and then I wake up at 2-3am and often don’t get back to sleep. That is something that I am working through.’

Roughead also admitted to suffering from impostor syndrome during his career and said he likely only got drafted because he stood over two metres tall and had a famous last name. 

‘I’ve always felt like a bit of an impostor in football,’ he said.

‘Because I haven’t been the most talented, never been the fittest, the strongest, the best kick. I’ve always felt like my place and my job was doing the little things that no one else really wanted to do because that was my contribution.’

However it was one key moment early in his career where Roughead found the fire to prove everyone wrong and put together a highly successful AFL career. 

‘I remember sitting at the end of the 2011 season, I had been dropped to the VFL, playing with Williamstown, made the grand final and I think I had two touches in the 2011 VFL grand final,’ he said.

‘I sat in my exit meeting a couple of days later and had a coach look me in the eye and sort of say I don’t think you’re good enough to play AFL football. I think the only reason you have played AFL this year is because you’re a good bloke and people are rewarding you for that.

‘That was the moment my motivation for it changed. It was then [I decided] I want to prove that coach wrong. I want to have a successful AFL career to prove that coach wrong.

‘My motivation has changed across the 13 years I have been doing it, but there has been a few times where I want to prove someone wrong. That has probably held me in greater stead than most other things.’

source: dailymail.co.uk