Collingwood star Jamie Elliott has opened up about how a rare condition could have resulted in two of his toes being amputated.
The dynamic forward, 32, made his debut with the Magpies in 2012 and won a long-awaited premiership 11 years later.
But months after that 2023 September glory against the Brisbane Lions, Elliott had a couple of blood clots in his toes due to a vascular issue, which led to an urgent chat with a surgeon.
Elliott was presented with a couple of options – and they were grim.
‘One was retiring, the other was having surgery where there was a chance I could lose a couple of toes if they got it wrong,’ he told News Corp.
‘I was thinking, ‘I don’t know, I love footy and there was a small chance it (amputation) could happen….in the end I put it in the hands of the surgeon.
‘They went through my pubic area, put a tube down there and it goes through your main arteries down your leg and your body produces something which thins your blood naturally.
‘They pushed it down there and it basically dissolved the blood clot. The arteries are so small down there that if they stuff it up, it could block it.’
Elliott’s surgery was ultimately successful, but he knows it was a risky move.
He is now closing in on 200 career AFL games – and Elliott was chuffed after being recently added to Collingwood’s leadership group.
As a result, Elliott feels he has grown as a player and person.
The off-contract cult hero also had a message for Magpies list boss Justin Leppitsch – he is ready for a new deal.
Given Collingwood have eight stars also aged over 30 currently on their books, don’t be surprised if Elliott remains in black and white beyond 2025.
This weekend Craig McRae’s men line up against Sydney at Adelaide Oval on April 11 as part of Gather Round.
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