Warriors captain relaxed over return
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck says any mental scars from the serious injury that ruined his 2016 campaign have well and truly healed as the new Warriors skipper prepares for his long-awaited return.
Ten months after rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee against the Bulldogs, Tuivasa-Sheck will combine his comeback with his captaincy debut in the pre-season trial against Melbourne on the Sunshine Coast tomorrow.
But if the fleet-footed fullback had any doubts about how his repaired knee would hold up, he wasn’t showing it at training on Wednesday.
‘‘It’s been a long time since I’ve played with the boys. Our combos are looking good, feeling good and I just want to play,’’ Tuivasa-Sheck said.
‘‘I know a lot of people have been asking how the knee is but I’ve done a lot of practice and I trust in my medical team so I just want to get out there now.’’
Tuivasa-Sheck is set to play at least the first half against the Storm, giving him the chance to resume his combination with halfback Shaun Johnson, who has been included in the squad after sitting out the Auckland Nines with a minor groin injury.
Tuivasa-Sheck resumed fullcontact training in December and has grown in confidence with every session.
‘‘It’s all about the practice and I’ve done a lot of it,’’ he added. ‘‘[Wednesday] we did a full contact session where I was running and getting tackled. The more I do it the more comfortable I get.’’
Coach Stephen Kearney has been impressed by the 23-yearold’s work in pre-season.
But a match against last year’s losing grand finalists will provide the perfect gauge of his progress.
‘‘We’ve got two more games and then we’re into round one after a weekend off so it’s important for all of those players to get a bit of game time, particularly for Roger to get some confidence,’’ Kearney said.
‘‘I don’t think he needs it, he trains the way he plays. But we’re going to be playing against a side that has a pretty good kicking game so that’s going to test Rog out.’’
As for the captaincy, TuivasaSheck believes the reality of leading the side will not hit home until the season proper gets under way against Newcastle on March 5.
‘‘It actually hasn’t been too crazy. Once the season starts the heat will hit me, I’m still just doing everything as normal.’’
Meanwhile, Kearney says star signing Kieran Foran is two weeks away from beginning full contact training.
While the club is still waiting for the Kiwis playmaker’s contract to be registered by the NRL, his recovery from a shoulder injury is making much better progress.
Foran was a vocal presence on Wednesday and his eagerness to return to action was clearly evident during an opposed session, which made for a nervous moment for the coach.
‘‘He had my heart in my mouth when he was on a kick-chase, someone skipped around and he put his arm out to try and stop him,’’ Kearney said.
‘‘But he’s getting better each day. [Tuesday] he was on the mat in the gym, whacking into one of our players so the contact is picking up day by day by day.’’