Sullivan set to tap star cricketer for tips on overcoming injury

FORMER world record-holder Eamon Sullivan will consult Australian cricketer Shane Watson in an effort to end his horrendous string of injuries, which this time have threatened his Commonwealth Games aspirations.

The career of the Beijing Olympic 100 metres silver medallist has been blighted by injury, just as Watson's had been for many years before he literally got himself together and went on to become the star of this Australian cricket summer.

Sullivan's injuries list grew a little longer yesterday when he was forced to have hip surgery to repair a labral tear, and to shave the bone to make more room in the problem hip joint.

It is the fifth time Sullivan has had hip surgery and almost a year since he had the same procedure performed on his left hip.

It continued a woeful 12 months. He rushed back from the surgery last year and qualified for the world championships, but everything would take its toll by July when his body ''virtually shut down'', and, unable to shake off a virus, he was forced to withdraw from the Rome titles.

Then later in the year he was training in the United States and was rushed to hospital to have his appendix removed.

Sullivan says he will not make the same mistake of rushing back this time.

But he hopes to be ready for Commonwealth Games trials in March, and if he can qualify at least for the relay team, he will then make the trip to the US for the Pan Pacific titles in August, where he can swim any number of individual events.

Perhaps he can then force his way onto the Delhi team in those individual races. But he also knows the main goal is London in 2012, and that if he doesn't heal quickly enough or get fit enough for trials, the Commonwealth Games may have to be sacrificed for the longer-term goal.

''Hopefully it doesn't come to that, but if it does, it is probably going to be a wise decision long term,'' he said.

''2011 and 2012 are the big years, and the Olympics is the ultimate goal and whatever I have to do to get there at peak condition, I'll be doing.

''I'm not writing this year off. [But] my approach this time around as opposed to last year is a bit different.

''Last year I really pushed my body to try and get fit before the trials, which could have started a snowball effect for the rest of the year.

''This time around I'm going to make sure I don't rush myself, make sure my rehab is 100 per cent, and my body is 100 per cent.

''I'm planning to swim at trials, whether or not I'll be fit enough to make the team will be a different story.''

Sullivan said both he and his coach Grant Stoelwinder thought they should consider contacting Watson to see if he had any tips.

''I plan to catch up with him in the next couple of weeks and just have a chat about things,'' Sullivan said.

''Obviously he's come out the other end from probably a worse run than me as far as missing major events and things you work so hard to get to.

''I just want to get his approach, to try and see if there is anything he did which I could maybe take into my program or any mental thought process he used.''