Beattie out of Glasgow side
Johnnie Beattie has been forced out of Glasgow's pre-season rugby plans due to a bad shoulder injury, which has led to surgery.
Beattie has been nursing a shoulder problem since the back end of last season and it seems that his attempts to get the injury swiftly dealt with have failed as he has had to go under the knife.
Beattie had started to play very well for Glasgow and this led to calls from many within Scottish rugby that he could become a regular in the national side for many seasons to come. Hopefully this will not set him back too much.
There are a huge number of negatives to this news but it's much better that Glasgow get the injury dealt with now as opposed to waiting for after the season had started. It will mean a chance for someone else to come in and impress.
Negatives
Glasgow relied on this player a lot towards the back end of last season. He is much quicker than his size and appearance may lead you to think and this makes him difficult to play against. He can use this to his advantage in both the attacking and defensive areas of the field.
He was clearly in good health because his Glasgow form got him a place in the Scotland side that went and did well in Argentina. This is an international place that many tipped him for in the long term. An injury means that he will not be able to take his place in the Scotland team and this will give a chance to someone else to steal his place.
He said: "It's probably too early to say definitively how long I'll be out. Prior to the operation, the surgeon is talking about a six-month window to get back but that's quite cautious and if I regain the strength at the same level as my right shoulder then it should be sooner."
Opportunity
One man's misfortune is another man's gain and there will be a chance for someone to come in and make an impression on the Glasgow team. This will be a chance they would not have been expecting due to the impressive way that Beattie had started to play for his club side.
When players get chances they do not expect they quite often raise their performance levels to make sure they make the most of their chance. This is because they will have no idea over how long they may be in or out of the side.
Glasgow is not just missing Beattie, but also James Eddie, which head coach Sean Lineen talked about.
Lineen said: "We wish both Johnnie and James a speedy recovery and we're grateful for the expert medical attention they are receiving. Currently there are a number of bumps and bruises within the camp. Happily, however, our physiotherapists are confident that the vast majority of players on the treatment bench at the moment will be fit for our first Magners League game against Leinster in September."
Betting advice
What you need to remember is that Glasgow are one of the bigger clubs in the Magners League. Beattie may well have been in top form before surgery but the club have the squad to cope with his absence.
Ultimately they will stand a better chance of winning when he is in the side but the damage should not be as bad as everyone is fearing or may expect. The side will remain compact, well organised and very difficult to beat.
When Beattie eventually comes back then he will have ground to make up and expect a lot of tries and points to come from him. However, work out someone else to back for now.
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