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Saints hope 'Healing Hans' can help Dan

3 minute read

Injury-plagued St Kilda onballer Dan Hannebery is the latest AFL player to head to Germany for treatment from sports physician Hans-Wilhelm Muller-Wohlfahrt

DAN HANNEBERY of the Swans.
DAN HANNEBERY of the Swans. Picture: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images

St Kilda hope the maverick German doctor known as "Healing Hans" can achieve what four long years of treatments have not - fix Dan Hannebery.

The midfielder is in Germany to work with Hans-Wilhelm Muller-Wohlfahrt, who has polarised opinion in sports medicine with his work on soft tissue injuries.

The doctor has a long list of high-profile sporting patients and Hannebery is the latest AFL player with a chronic problem to visit him.

The Sydney premiership player has managed just 15 games since joining the Saints at the end of 2018 on a bumper deal that has gone spectacularly wrong because of his injuries.

Hannebery is recovering from calf muscle surgery in late March and it remains unclear when he will play again.

"We've tried a lot of things, so why not explore everything? And that's what our medical group have done," said coach Brett Ratten.

"So this is just another part, to say 'we've got a little bit of time, why not him go over there and spend a week and see if it can help him.

"I don't know too much about it - I left our medical crew to (make) all these decisions and I support it."

Ratten said the trip itself would be good for Hannebery, who has come under plenty of scrutiny for his horror run of injuries while at the Saints.

"The other side of it, it's really good for him maybe mentally to get away from the game and get out of Australia. It's going to help him anyway.

"Hopefully it really ignites him."

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