Daniel Sturridge was forced to pull out of Perth Glory's recent A-League game after suffering cramp during the four-hour plane journey.
The former Chelsea and Liverpool striker recently joined Glory following a stint in the Turkish league.
Since news of the big-name signing broke, A-League fans have been keen to see the 32-year-old in action - none more so than the Perth faithful.
So when the Glory were set to take on Melbourne-based club Western United, supporters were gutted to see that Sturridge had been left off the starting team sheet at the last minute - in fact, he wasn't even on the bench.
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Now we know why, with Perth Glory owner confirming that four-hour flight from Perth to Melbourne took its toll on Sturridge's body.
"Look, a lot of consultation goes ahead, and when I saw the team sheet I made the call to sound out why (Sturridge was left off)," Sage told SEN.
"After a talk between the two - the player and the coach - he didn't feel he could contribute.
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"Richie (Richard Garcia) said it in the post-match, he's not used to a four-hour flight to a game. He's just not used to it.
"He pulled up on the plane a little bit crampy, when they did their walk and that he didn't feel comfortable when they did the team walk.
"So, he went up to Richie and said, 'Look, I might not be ready this week'."
The Glory now have seven games on the road before jetting back to sunny Perth in the new year.
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Sage hopes, by that time, that Sturridge will be fully fit and ready to start banging in goals on a weekly basis for the club.
"He's got a full week of training now in Melbourne with the squad, no distractions and I think you'll see he'll get at least 10-15 minutes next week building up," Sage said.
"I think you'll see him start by the time he gets back here (to Perth)."
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