Knee overhaul for Katz

?I basically ignored it and played on with the injury which restricted my effectiveness on the pitch at times for much of the season so after the Grand Final I had to have it sorted out.
?Basically what happened is the doctors found a large hole in the knee so they had to remove some bone marrow from my shin to re[place in the patella (knee cap) but it wasn?t a knee reconstruction in the strictest sense of the word,? he states.
It?s an ill timed loss for the Sharks right at the start of the campaign but as Katz says: ?We lost a couple of players for this season but that happens in football and we are looking to some of the youngsters to step up as well as brining in a couple too.
?Ben Vidaic came in from Marconi in a like for like position for Bard Boardman who left for Bonnyrigg and we also signed a lad from Scotland who we hope is going to do well.?
Sutherland may well look to Yianni Fragogiannis to shine this season as the injured full back reckons; ?Yianni can slot into the Panni Nikas (Central Coast Mariners) role for us as he is a different player to Panni but he possesses the same mental attitude and can turn heads this year but that isn?t to put pressure on him.
?He is a young lad still learning his trade but he has shown he can go far in the game with his present progress and Blake Powell is another who can certainly grow within this league.?
So with the Katz prognosis not too healthy right now, when does he expect to be back in action?
?I?m aiming for the second-half of the season at the earliest but hopefully the lads will keep me out of the side as they are playing so well,? he laughs.
Anyone who this down-to-earth professional will realise he is being honest about that too!
-By Micky Brock