Sam ready to soar again
TOWNSVILLE Bl a c khawks recruit Sam Hoare believes he still has something to offer in the NRL as he makes his comeback from a serious knee injury through the Queensland Cup.
Hoare played 21 games across his four seasons with the Cowboys, but his 2018 campaign was cut short after suffering a ruptured ACL in his side’s Round 15 loss to the Warriors.
The 27- year- old had been solid in his three- game stint as a starting prop, but he wasn’t re- signed at season’s end after suffering the third knee injury of his career.
The Blackhawks have swooped on several former Cowboys for next season in Hoare, Kyle Laybutt, Shaun Hudson, and Josh Chudleigh, who is also coming back from an ACL injury.
Hoare played two seasons with the Blackhawks in 2016 and 2017 while contracted to the Cowboys and he felt the club could help him get back to playing his best football.
“I know quite a few of the players and staff there so it’s a pretty natural fit to head back and I think with the new head coach ( Aaron Payne) it’ll be a really good season,” Hoare said. “There’s definitely going to be a lot of competition for spots and I think that only makes the quality of training sessions better.
“Those three games I played for the Cowboys this year I thought I was contributing pretty well to the team and I’m really keen to get back to that standard of playing.”
Hoare has been back running in straight lines for a month now and he was able to join his new Blackhawks teammates for the start of preseason training this week.
The Rockhampton product is targeting a round one return to the playing field, but he didn’t want to put too much emphasis on the time frame having been through the rehab twice before.
“I’m trying to just focus on one step at a time because with an ACL you get caught up in the time frame, but there’s a lot of important steps to tick off before you get back to playing footy,” Hoare said.
“It has been a real mental battle, but I always know in the back of my head that if I do everything properly with the rehab I can get back to playing the footy I was before the injury.”
Backrower Andrew Davey secured his first NRL deal with the Eels following a stint with the Blackhawks last season and Hoare said he was motivated to forge a path back to first grade.
“Even though I’ve had a few injury issues in the past I know that when I have played NRL I’ve held my own,” he said.
“I think with stringing a few more games together I would be able to contribute well.”