I’d like to preface this article by stating that there is an obvious difference between real world tragedies and ‘football’ tragedies like injuries or a missing a grand final.

But the innocuous landing that caused Nic Naitanui’s second ACL tear has caused the superstar to become the footballing tragedy of 2018 for teammates, fans, and most all himself.

West Coast will undoubtedly miss the flying Fijian, but the show must go on, and in the wings sits Scott Lycett - a restricted free agent at the end of the year.

For the uninitiated, being a restricted free agent means Lycett is paid in the top handful of players at the club, and if ever there was a time to step up and play like a top half-dozen player, it is right now.

The team needs Scotty to play like a man possessed. He won’t replicate Nic Nat - they are completely different players - but what he can do is stand up and lead the team towards a finals berth, and I have full confidence that he will deliver.

But back to my mate Nic, and the uphill battle he has ahead of him.

For those who suffer long term or consecutive injuries, the word “perspective” gets bandied about quite regularly. But to be honest, the practical application of the word is easier said than done.

This is where, in my opinion, Nic Nat stands out. His ability to put his injury into ‘real world’ perspective epitomises his class and character, and reaffirms my intense admiration for the Flying Fijian.

Hitting Instagram on Tuesday morning with a photo of his mother, Nic spoke out:

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His deeply personal words were 100 per cent on the money – unquestionably, there are people doing it tougher in the world. But that does not mean he must forfeit his right to be sad, angry or bitter for a little while. Life simply isn’t fair sometimes.

When you are injured you often wonder, why me?

There were plenty of times I found myself resenting the many players in the competition who seem to breeze through their careers without so much as an ankle sprain, wondering why it was that they were able to avoid the injuries and lows that dogged my own career.

It can be hard to convey just how damaging the process of physically rehabbing an injury is to a player’s mental health to those who have not been inside the four walls of a football club.

A surgeon once said to me “rehab isn’t that bad,” to which I responded: “can you imagine being a surgeon without fingers, a musician without hearing, a taxi driver without hands? Imagine sitting in an operating theatre every day and watching other surgeons living out their passion, and all you do is watch without contributing…it’s (insert expletive here)”.

Camera Icon Nic Naitanui arrives back in Perth. Credit: Ross Swanborough/PerthNow

Although Nic still stands to make a significant amount of money whilst sitting on the sidelines for the next 18 months or so, I can guarantee he would give it all away and more back to have a healthy knee.

Rehab is boring, arduous and lonely. Injured players must use the gym away from the main playing group, complete running sessions on their own, and get physio or medical treatment by themselves. They also often find that conflicting schedules mean lunch breaks are eaten alone, and that they have nobody to socialise with. The isolation can drive you insane.

But without question, the hardest part of my own rehab experience was being an observer on AFL grand final day in 2013. Watching my Hawthorn teammates achieve the ultimate glory without being involved absolutely shattered me. And in a cruel blow for Nic, there is a chance that he may potentially find himself in that same position at the conclusion of the 2018 season. West Coast are charging towards September, and may feature deep within the finals series.

Watching your mates go into battle on the last Saturday in September and come out victorious is a dreadful experience; one I wouldn’t wish on any player.

Obviously you want your friends and club to enjoy success, but it absolutely tears your heart out. Opportunities don’t grow on trees – you only need look at Bob Murphy’s situation in 2016 (and his retirement the following year) to see that.

Murphy holding the cup aloft at the conclusion of the 2016 grand final was a nice moment, but regardless of the sentiments of the coach on the day, Bob isn’t a part of the premiership. Not at all.

Watching your mates go into battle on the last Saturday in September and come out victorious is a dreadful experience; one I wouldn’t wish on any player.

There are only 22 premiership players each year; not 23 or 24... just 22. The game day DVD will never have myself playing in 2013, Murphy in 2016 or potentially Nic this season. Injuries can cost you the opportunity to live out a dream, and can take away everything you’ve worked so hard for over the course of an entire career. And there’s not a damn thing you can do about it.

To be perfectly clear, this second ACL injury isn’t close to the hardest thing Nic has dealt with during his playing days; the passing of his mother a few years ago was the definition of a real tragedy, and something he still copes with each day.

And this knee injury won’t stop the ruckman. I’d bet my last dollar on him returning, and returning with the same athletic, powerful and dominant presence that he has exerted in the past.

But he is allowed to be sad, and so are we as his fans. Nothing about this situation is fair or right, and all we can do is throw our full support behind the big man as he hits the comeback trail yet again.

Nic signed off his Instagram post with #watchmeprevail, and he will leave no stone unturned in his desire to return to the field and his teammates.

He will prevail. Of that I am sure. But for now, to the modest, kind, loved man, I am sure I speak for everyone when I extend him the best of wishes. Time for him to get the boat serviced, go catch a few fish, and remember that no matter how lonely rehab may feel, we are all behind him.