Nirranda’s Mitch Couch finally feels free of injury at the right time of the year.
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The running half-back flanker missed the early part of the season after he suffered burns to his arms and a bit of his leg after a generator blew up on him at his work as a dairy farmer.
During his 3-4 week recovery from the burns, he spent time recovering on the couch which set his return to the football field back after soft tissue injuries and tightness hampered his ability to run.
“Laying down on the couch for three weeks tightened me up,” the 26-year-old said.
“After I could get up it was about getting those soft tissue injuries right and trying to come straight back into it.”
After two months away from the game, Couch was eager to get back out and join the Blues’ charge towards a possible second Warrnambool and District league premiership flag in three years.
“Football wasn’t really playing on my mind, I was pretty confident the burns would heal and the doctors were confident,” he said.
“It was always going to heal 100 per cent, it was just that waiting around for a few weeks to get it right so I could start training and get into it.”
The right-footer had the idea of finals in his mind early on in the season.
“From the start we recruited well and there was always a thought we would go pretty far in the finals,” Couch said.
“We are here now and it should be a pretty good weekend for us.”
Couch said the feeling in grand final week was slightly similar to his experience in 2016, when he won the Scotty Stewart Award for best on ground in the decider against Old Collegians.
“Grand final week is pretty similar but this time we are in a different position,” he said.
“This time we are going in favourites whereas the other year we were underdogs and it’s a different team as well, which makes it a different feeling.”
Couch said the Blues’ back six had been settled for most of the year and would be eager to halt their opposition’s attacks.