Queensland skipper Daly Cherry-Evans is on the verge of almost halving the standard recovery time for syndesmosis surgery, declaring himself at full fitness for Wednesday's State of Origin opener at Suncorp Stadium.
Cherry-Evans recovered strongly from a tough opposed session with the Maroons on Sunday afternoon and said he would now step out with complete confidence as he leads the side for the first time.
He had always made Origin a goal but medical staff held concerns that the timeframe would beat him. As it stands, he has turned a nine-week rehab into five weeks after dedicating himself to recovering in time to skipper his state.
"I feel really good this morning. Getting through almost the full week of training has given me a lot of confidence. Its been a really positive week and Im getting excited for the game," Cherry-Evans said.
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"I walked in here saying I was 100 per cent so I must be sitting at 105 or 110 now."
Cherry-Evans did admit there were moments soon after the operation that he struggled to see how he could meet the Origin selection deadline. But medical staff at Manly, then Queensland, have helped him to leap over the line in time to start the series.
"My nervous moments around whether it would hold up or not were the early stages, when you cant really move around and are restricted to crutches and stuff like that. Thats when you are a little short-sighted and you think how the hell am I going to be able to play in a couple of weeks?.
"Recovery programs are so advanced these days. There is so much available for you to use these days. I was lucky to have such a great support team back in Manly and also when I came into camp here in Queensland. Its a matter of taking advantage of those opportunities."
Maroons doctor Matt Hislop wasn't quiteRead More – Source
Queensland skipper Daly Cherry-Evans is on the verge of almost halving the standard recovery time for syndesmosis surgery, declaring himself at full fitness for Wednesday's State of Origin opener at Suncorp Stadium.
Cherry-Evans recovered strongly from a tough opposed session with the Maroons on Sunday afternoon and said he would now step out with complete confidence as he leads the side for the first time.
He had always made Origin a goal but medical staff held concerns that the timeframe would beat him. As it stands, he has turned a nine-week rehab into five weeks after dedicating himself to recovering in time to skipper his state.
"I feel really good this morning. Getting through almost the full week of training has given me a lot of confidence. Its been a really positive week and Im getting excited for the game," Cherry-Evans said.
Advertisement
"I walked in here saying I was 100 per cent so I must be sitting at 105 or 110 now."
Cherry-Evans did admit there were moments soon after the operation that he struggled to see how he could meet the Origin selection deadline. But medical staff at Manly, then Queensland, have helped him to leap over the line in time to start the series.
"My nervous moments around whether it would hold up or not were the early stages, when you cant really move around and are restricted to crutches and stuff like that. Thats when you are a little short-sighted and you think how the hell am I going to be able to play in a couple of weeks?.
"Recovery programs are so advanced these days. There is so much available for you to use these days. I was lucky to have such a great support team back in Manly and also when I came into camp here in Queensland. Its a matter of taking advantage of those opportunities."
Maroons doctor Matt Hislop wasn't quiteRead More – Source