FORMER Geelong Cats star Matthew Egan has launched legal action over the treatment of his debilitating foot injury during a failed bid to play in the 2007 premiership win.

An All-Australian player during 2007, Egan missed the Cats drought-breaking finals series after sustaining a navicular stress fracture in round 22.

Egan is claiming damages and costs from Cats sports medicine physician Dr Chris Bradshaw and orthopedic surgery specialist Mark Blackney, claiming their treatment of his injury was negligent.

A writ, lodged Tuesday in the Supreme Court, state the 31-year-old brings no claim for loss of earnings.

The document states Egan had surgery on September 3, 2007, before starting a rehabilitation program about 11 days aimed at having him play in that month’s grand final.

Five days into the program — on the Tuesday before the preliminary final — Egan suffered pain in his foot and couldn’t continue a quickened running drill.

The current Essendon assistant coach claims both doctors failed to disclose the risks involved with the operation and subsequent rehabilitation.

This includes:

THAT even with the operation there was “virtually no prospect” of him playing football within the month after surgery;

THAT the average return time to sport following surgery was five months; and,

THAT a bid for a return by the grand final came with risks such as displacement or non-union of the fracture and the need for further surgery.

“Playing with Geelong, he would have played finals football and more than likely been a premiership player,” Egan’s lawyer Nick Mann said.

“He would have established a significant career as an AFL footballer.

“That has been lost to him because of the treatment he received.”

The claim states that Egan, who was delisted in 2009 having never added to his 59 games, had undergone six further surgeries.

Egan became an assistant coach at Geelong and joined Essendon as an assistant coach for the forward line group in 2012.