Harris back as captain major boost for Warriors
Return of skipper after knee injury may be the magic Kiwi side needs
Tohu Harris’ return to the NRL has come at the right time.
The Warriors captain will make his first appearance of the season when the Warriors take on the South Sydney Rabbitohs in Brisbane this afternoon, ending a 10-month stint on the sidelines dealing with a knee injury.
Harris last played in the club’s loss to the Penrith Panthers in mid-July last year, and it has been a slow process to get him back on the field.
“It has been quite tough,” Harris said. “Rehab is not a nice place to be, so the excitement to be back out on the field and be among the team is quite up there.
“How people get through that, I’ll never know. I certainly struggled and I probably made it hard on the rehab coaches as well. I think we’re all excited that I’m not in rehab any more.”
Although it was a slog being a patient, Harris says he found solace in perspective.
Although training days were monotonous, as he was doing the same things every day, the fact he was able to go home to his wife and son brightened the process.
“Having that perspective that, as hard as it is at work, I don’t have it too hard — I still get to go home and the people I love are there. That certainly made it a lot easier.”
One of the most influential players in the Warriors team, the workhorse forward is expected to be on a minutes restriction this weekend as the club looks to ease him back.
Assistant coach Justin Morgan said he would be likely to see around 40 minutes of game time in the Magic Round at Suncorp Stadium, but the coaches are yet to decide how he will be deployed.
It could be a case of Harris reverting to the interchange bench to start, and playing the back end of each half.
However, the Warriors have been guilty of starting slowly this season, and the coaches could opt to leave him in the starting line-up in the hope
of influencing a better opening 20 minutes.
However he is deployed, Harris said there were no illusions as to how his return might impact the team. Although he brings veteran presence and drive, there is only so much he can do to help the team turn things around after being embarrassed by 12 men against the Cronulla Sharks last time out in Sydney.
“Not one person can fix the whole issue. Everyone’s just got to be, and has been, focusing on doing their own roles and getting that right,” Harris said. “It doesn’t matter who you bring in, that person has to take care of their own role. That has been the talk and the focus this week.
“There’s not going to be any miracles; I’m just going to come in and do my role the best I can. Hopefully that makes it easier on the guys to do theirs but I can’t do their job and they can’t do mine.
“You just want to do your part and try to help or be a part of it. Hopefully I can stay healthy for the rest of the year and I can have a hand in trying to turn some of our results around.”