North Queensland Fury skipper Robbie Fowler has revealed he took a battering from Melbourne Victory's players last week.
Fowler struggled to make an impact in his first trip to the A-League's biggest stage last Friday night, though still managed to hit the crossbar with a header in the second-half.
In his column for the Townsville Bulletin, the Liverpool legend revealed: "I don't know if anyone noticed, but I took an almighty knock in the first 10 seconds of the game against Melbourne last week, corking my right thigh badly.
"Then, just on halftime, I copped a hit to the back.
"It didn't make for the most enjoyable 90 minutes of my life and while I'm not that fast at the best of times, for most of it I felt like I was running in mud.
"It's amazing how long these dead legs take to heal.
"But I was able to stretch out at training on Thursday, which was pleasing, and I reckon it will be all systems go tonight (against Gold Coast United)."