IT is killing Ryan Giles.
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The newly-appointed Murray United captain will watch from the sidelines on Saturday as the Border’s fledgling NPL1 team takes to the pitch for the first time.
A groin injury remains a sticking point for the former AWFA star player and Hotspurs 300-plus-game midfielder.
“There’s no set timeframe for a return to the pitch at the moment,” he said.
“I just have to keep doing the rehab, keep working on other aspects of my fitness to be ready to go at some point.
“I’m devastated that I can’t be out there on Saturday night in what is a huge turning point for our sport on the Border.
“This is something a lot of players around my age had only ever dreamed of happening, and now it’s here — we are part of it.
“I guess we hope that rubs off on the wider community and they come along and support us too.”
Giles, 30, said being chosen as captain was one of the highlights of his career.
“It tells me (coach) Mick (Richards) has faith in not only my skills and ability but by judgment, my leadership — its a massive honour to be the first captain,” he said.
“There is also a great feeling at the club — we have come together from different clubs but have crammed together so many sessions we feel like we have been together forever.
“With one or two exceptions I think we have the best players from AWFA.
“We had the launch of the season last weekend and it brought home not only how close the season was to starting, but how far we had come in the past month.
“Four weeks ago we didn’t have a team, last year we were all running around against each other.”