Campese sidelined for season

Canberra skipper Terry Campese will be forced to sit out the rest of the season after re-injuring his troublesome left knee.

Campese was struck down during the Raiders’ defeat to Brisbane on Friday but inital scans cleared the five-eighth of any major damage.

However during surgery it was found Campese had torn his ACL meaning, he requires a full knee reconstruction.

It is the same injury that he suffered in the semi finals against Wests Tigers in 2010, which caused him to miss the whole of the following season.

“I’ve had the chance to sit down with Terry last night and he’s shattered with the news,” Raiders Chief Executive Don Furner said.

“This type of injury has a 10-15 per cent chance of re-occurring and unfortunately requires an extensive recovery period, which he has already recently been through.  It’s terrible that he’s facing the same injury twice within two years, but he will be given the full amount of time to rehabilitate.”

Campese has opted again for traditional surgery over the modern LARS procedure, which involves the insertion of a synthetic ligament.

“The club will stand by Terry in this tough time and ensure he gets the best medical care and rehabilitation. We request he is given time to get over the reconstructive surgery and this latest setback,” added Furner.

Scans on Campese’s knee following the previous week’s match against the New Zealand Warriors revealed no structural damage, Furner said.