Rivers on the mend

IT'S NOT quite Tiger Mark Coughlan trekking off to Germany to be injected with animal parts or bee produce, but it does involve travel, and medical procedures.

Melbourne defender Jared Rivers is in Adelaide to have specialist treatment because of a simple incident that ended his season.

"I tore my lower abdominal muscles and also tore my adductor in my right thigh, and I tore them pretty badly," he said.

"I was going up for a mark or a spoil and I just landed pretty awkwardly, and I felt the whole thing grab, and then I couldn't run, so I had to just try to limp off the field."

Rivers said that, although his season was over, he was certain he'd be right to go once preparation for 2009 rolled around.

"I'm over in Adelaide at the moment getting some treatment for a couple of weeks from this specialist who really focuses on the pubic bone and all the muscles around that area.

"I'm having treatment every day, so that's going to put me in good stead for pre-season."

Rivers sounded positive about the treatment, but unhappy with his recent injury run.

"It's been a couple of tough years, and I can't really seem to take a trick at the moment.

"I just feel like I'm letting the club down, and my teammates down, so that's where I've got to really try and make sure I get my body right, so I'm just trying to take every minute I can to get that done."

Rivers has family in South Australia, and is trying to juggle some time around treatment in order to see them.

"I've got my uncle and brother, dad lives about three hours away, so I'm going to try and get down there to see him on the weekend, but it's mainly just physio most of the day and then I get a bit of time in the evening to catch up with friends and family.

"So it's not too bad."