Souths happy to give Inglis plenty of time to heal with eye on finals fitness
SOUTH Sydney skipper Greg Inglis won’t return from his broken thumb for at least two weeks, with Rabbitohs officials refusing to rush his comeback.
Inglis hasn’t played since breaking his hand during the Rabbitohs’ one- point win over North Queensland in Round 16.
The champion Maroon and Kangaroo has since returned to training. He was seen running freely at Souths HQ in Redfern on Thursday.
Despite Inglis’ promising progress, centre Dane Gagai says the club want “GI” fully fit and firing for the finals.
“Greg is obviously keen to get back out on the field, but we don’t want to rush the big fella too early,” Gagai said.
“He snapped the bone pretty badly there and had a few screws put in, so it is just about giving him time to heal and I’m sure he will be right for the finals.”
You can never replace In- glis, but Souths are fortunate to have strong depth. This has been shown through the emergence of Auckland- born back Hymel Hunt.
The former Titans and Storm flyer has performed admirably in Inglis’ absence.
According to Gagai, players like Hunt will help Souths go far in this year’s premiership.
“I think that is one of the best things about this team,” he said.
“We know that if a player is out, the next person coming in is going to do a job.
“Obviously losing someone like Greg is massive, but we’ve got someone like Hymel to do an outstanding job in the centres.
“The depth in this team is outstanding, which makes it better when you are out there training against each other.
“Everyone is pushing for spots and we are all working hard, which creates a good culture.”