Western Force inside back Reesjan Pasitoa has detailed his mindset in the latest Full Force Podcast episode as he builds towards a Super Rugby Pacific playing return following a dislocated elbow suffered on the eve of the season.
The talented 22-year-old Perth-Bayswater product hasn’t played at Super Rugby level since 2022, missing all of 2023 with an ACL injury and looked on track for 2024 after a big pre-season.
However, Pasitoa’s progress was frustratingly halted less than a fortnight out from the season opener when he dislocated his elbow in training, bracing with his arm after a tackle.
“First thing was frustration,” Pasitoa said on the Full Force Podcast. “I’d never dislocated anything but I knew it wasn’t right. At first, I was quite optimistic once we’d put it back in – which hurt way more than my knee.
“We spoke about scenarios, is it a fracture? Is it ruptured ligaments? I ended up rupturing two ligaments, so it was surgery or no surgery?
“Initially it was frustration because I’d felt I’d come off one of my better pre-seasons. My body was feeling good. I was hitting PBs in most tests. But it was like, I’ve been here before, I know what I need to do. I know how to do it.”
The initial diagnosis was a 10-12-week recovery period, with Pasitoa now heading towards the back-end of that process.
“So far, so good,” Pasitoa said. “Haven’t had one issue since. I got the surgery a week (after the incident)… I had a couple of days off, then pretty much got straight back into work.
“It was real light early on but now that the brace is off, I’m starting to ramp things up and get ready.
“It’s a good thing that I could still run, that was the one niggly thing with the knee, that I had to learn to walk before I could run. This I could just get running. I was on the bike first, keeping fit, and it feels good.
“The mindset is good. Content with everything. Not angry with the situation, not frustrated, just ready to go.”
Listen to the full episode below:
