Wayne Carey reveals the crippling toll injuries have taken on him and issues warning to Joe Daniher

Wayne Carey has warned Joe Daniher surgery may be ‘the only option’ available should he suffer another shoulder injury as the former AFL legend revealed he is ‘paying the price’ for playing through injuries during his career.

Daniher will miss between four and six weeks after dislocating his shoulder in the first quarter of the win against the Sydney Swans on Sunday, but Brisbane said he will not require surgery to rebuild the muscle around the joint.

While the prognosis is good news for the Lions, writing in The Age Carey warned another injury to the shoulder would leave their star forward in a position where ‘surgery will be the only option.’

Joe Daniher faces up to six weeks out after injuring his shoulder against Sydney in Round 7

The former North Melbourne great faced a similar scenario in 1997, when he injured his shoulder in Round 1 and returned 10 weeks later after undergoing surgery. 

In his column, Carey noted the recovery time for the kind of procedure he underwent is between 12 to 16 weeks and his desire to help the Kangaroos win a second consecutive flag ultimately took its toll on his body. 

‘Ultimately, I’m paying the price now for the calls I made and that pursuit of success in the ’90s,’ the 50-year-old wrote.

Wayne Carey warned players are pushing themselves too far to recover from injuries

The two-time premiership winner will undergo surgery to replace his left shoulder next week, a procedure he described as ‘long overdue’ given the joint has ‘about half of the standard shoulder mobility’ and he can ‘barely lift my arm’ above horizontal.

‘When you’re in the moment, pushing through the pain barrier seems like the only option,’ Carey added.

‘You do it for your club and your teammates, whom you don’t want to let down, and for yourself because you want to play the matches that matter.

‘There can be bravado in proving how tough you are and how quickly you can return from injury. But that bravado is long gone when you’re facing a shoulder replacement.’

The former Essendon star has kicked 19 goals in the first seven games for the Lions

The gun forward will not need surgery as the Lions believe four to six weeks should be enough for him to rebuild muscle around his shoulder

Renowned shoulder surgeon Greg Hoy, who has operated on several AFL players, told the former Kangaroos legend that footballers ‘aren’t just pushing the limit with their injury management and recovery’ but that they were ‘past the limit’.

Carey, however, warned the current players that ignoring injuries could have a devastating impact on their lives.

‘While we should continue to admire the incredible bravery of everyone playing our great game, my message to the current players is: don’t ever feel guilty about getting your body right,’ he wrote.

‘You’ll thank yourself later.’