Josh Pereira is not sure when he’ll be putting his hand up for first team selection as he battles to get the better of a niggling injury.   The talented midfielder suffered a grade two groin tear in January and has been working closely with club physiotherapist Katie Holtham for the past couple of months.

Pereira stepped up his recovery twelve days ago with an hour-long run in Under-20s home win over Mandurah City.   And the 24-year old had been looking forward to an even longer hit-out on the weekend against Stirling Lions before fate, unfortunately, intervened.

“It was good to get minutes under my belt for the first time this year (against Mandurah) and I was planning for a full game against Stirling,” Pereira explained.   “But after feeling a slight niggle early on I decided it best not to risk it and to end my day there.”

“It’s always frustrating when you’re injured and regaining confidence in your body even once your back training is difficult.   I was hoping to get some minutes with the first team heading into the coming round, however, with this slight niggle that’ll now most likely be another week or two away.”

“I’ve been out for about two months and working with Katie for all of that time.   With the exception of a minor setback around the halfway mark, my recovery has gone pretty much according to plan.   It’s important now that I’m disciplined with my return and not rush things, otherwise it will have been a lot of time wasted.”