Newcastle Jets have not given up hope that Ronny Vargas will be available for the A-League finals if they make it.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Vargas returned to Newcastle on Monday after surgery on Sunday night to repair a badly broken and dislocated left ankle.
The 30-year-old suffered the horrific injury in a tangle with Brisbane captain Matt McKay in the 58th minute of the Jets’ 2-1 victory at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday.
Brisbane Orthopaedic specialist Dr Jeremy Bartlett performed the surgery and was confident Vargas would make a full recovery.
“We actually had one of Brisbane’s best surgeons, Dr Jeremy Bartlett, sitting in the stands and he came down straight after the incident to help safely manage Ron’s ankle,” Jets coach Ernie Merrick said.
“He arranged the operation and did the surgery himself. He put a screw in to hold the bones together and also repaired the ligaments. The report from the surgeon has been positive at this stage, but with such a significant injury there are a lot of unknowns.
“He felt that immediately after the operation there was not a great deal of swelling and it was OK to fly.”
Ernie Merrick’s emotional reaction after the injury
Vargas, who feared his career may have been over, was in good spirits when he rejoined the squad for the trip home on Monday.
“He is on painkillers to help with the throbbing but he is actually smiling again which is good,” Merrick said. “He thought his career was over on Sunday night. It is rehabilitation now.”
Fijian international Roy Krishna suffered a similar injury when Merrick was coach at the Wellington Phoenix.
“Roy was out for four months,” Merrick said. “With some luck we will have Ronny in the finals. There are a lot of unknowns, but that is the hope if everything goes well in his recovery. Stage one is the most important stage.”
The sickening injury left the Jets and the league in shock. Vargas, a Venezuelan international, has been a revelation since signing with the Jets from AEK Athens.
Jets captain Nigel Boogaard and defender Nikolai Topor-Stanley remonstrated with McKay after the tackle. However, the A-League match review panel on Monday cleared the Roar skipper of any wrongdoing.
“This was a terrible accident and we’re all feeling for Ron, but it was no ones fault,” Merrick said.
Jets striker Roy O’Donovan said Vargas’ injury was “crushing for everybody”.
“He has been so good as a person and as a player,” O’Donovan said.
“We have to be professional and refocus but it’s hard. I was next to Ronny at the time and he was in a lot of pain. You don’t want to see that happen to any professional, let alone someone who sits beside you in the dressing room. That is a kick in the teeth for him and a kick in the teeth for us. He is just a bubbly character, we have to try and lift him as best we can.”
Wayne Brown replaced Vargas for the final 30 minutes against the Roar and is expected to start in the No.10 role against Western Sydney Wanderers at McDonald Jones Stadium on Sunday.
“We have a reasonable squad, it is not going to be quite the same,” Merrick said. “Everyone improves and we have a good team which knows the game plan. We are in a good position in the league and hope Ronny can come back sooner rather than later.”
Play was held up for eight minutes on Sunday as medical staff stabilised Vargas’ leg before taking him from the field on a stretcher.
The Jets had been in control until that point.
“It became a bit of a blur after that,” O’Donovan said. “For 60 minutes we played some lovely stuff, getting the ball to Ronny through Stevie and Kanta. We were playing some lovely combinations but after he went off, we just tried to get to the end of the game.”
The Jets managed to hold on for the win and move to second place on seven points – the club’s best start to a season.
