Is Anthony Morabito a Good Footballer?

When an anterior cruciate ligament tears, it rarely tears in isolation. The knee partially dislocates- a collision of bony surfaces, usually with some collateral damage- a medial ligament sprain, a meniscus tear. The knee slowly fills with blood, a new and alarming sensation. Immediately, the player feels that something is very wrong.

The ACL is gone. The nerve endings in the ACL are gone too. They used to provide proprioception– part of the GPS of his knee. The player will be less sure of every movement that was previously second nature. Do I go for that mark? Do I dive for that ground ball? How many times can I sell candy before my knee buckles?

Ten percent of reconstructions re-tear. For the ninety percent that make it through, it’s rare for a player to return as good as they were. For every Nick Malceski and Jake Lever, there’s a list of players that have taken significant hits after ACL injury- Daniel Rich, Matthew Kreuzer, Nathan Brown, Nathan Vardy, Eric Mackenzie.

Anthony Morabito has had three ACL reconstructions. I don’t really know his Fremantle career well. Due to the circumstances of his body, I’m not sure anyone does.

Drafted pick 4 in the 2009 draft at 190cm and 97kg, Morabito fit the mould of the modern midfielder- tall, capable inside and out. His main weapon was pace– a license to tear through the middle, paid with running bounces. This was coupled with a brashness, an overconfidence with ball in hand.

A major concern was his kicking, specifically questions about how effective/penetrating it could be. It didn’t take long for a response. His first goal on debut– a sixty-metre launch from the edge of the centre square, was a bold statement of intent- he wanted us to know he was the real deal.

This is Morabito later that year, a first year player in an elimination final against Hawthorn. He chases down a handball in the midfield, gathering it at full pace. After a bounce, he throws his head over his shoulder. Two Hawthorn players in hot pursuit — bad news. Another flanks him on his right — worse. He could kick to any of four targets in the forward 50- Pavlich is wide open. Morabito takes option five. It is exciting, it is disrespectful, it is amazing.

Fremantle took Stephen Hill in the draft the year before (Pick 3, 2008). In 2010, Morabito’s running goal gives Fremantle permission to dream. In 2010, they have two jets burning through the middle of Subiaco Oval for the next decade. Grass will never ever grow in that corridor again. In 2016, three knee reconstructions and a lost Grand Final later, the dream is — well, this is all very upsetting.

Over the last few years, I’ve thought about Anthony Morabito a lot. I’ve often wondered how he’s going in the gym, in the WAFL. I’ve imagined him in the stands of the MCG during Fremantle’s 2013 Grand Final. I’ve seen his teammate Nathan Fyfe, taken 16 picks later in the same draft, rise to become a Brownlow winner and the face of the competition. But I don’t think about Nathan Fyfe much, the same way I don’t think about Calvin Harris, or Kraft Singles. There’s nothing to relate to, nothing instructive.

Now Anthony Morabito is delisted from Fremantle, a torn quadriceps in the WAFL the last straw. Fremantle in 2016 no longer has the list to sustain a chronically injured player. The narrative in the media has already started eulogising his career, effectively retiring him. An unlucky talent etc. This is not the ending Anthony Morabito wanted, or the lesson to learn.

Anthony Morabito could have retired after two ACL tears, definitely after three. He could have retired after any his soft tissue injuries. Like his hamstring tear in February. Or his ankle injury in June. As of now, he’s yet to retire. He’s still wired to want more, to throw his head over his shoulder, see three reconstructions and keep going. It is amazing.

Anthony Morabito has spent his six-year, twenty-six game career taking the game on.