Broncos star Kotoni Staggs is confident a full pre-season will do a lot for his game as he eyes a Round 1 return from the fresh knee injury that saw him miss the final games of last season.
A photo of Ryan Papenhuyzen in a moon boot sent Storm fans into a spin, but they can breathe easy with the star fullback only suffering a “minor” injury.
Several clubs are concerned about the upcoming NRL All Stars clash amid the Covid chaos that has swept through club-land during pre-season.
Meanwhile, the Warriors and Storm will join forces to raise funds for the Tonga communities affected by the recent volcanic eruptions and tsunami.
Kotoni Staggs is relishing the opportunity to get a full pre-season in before he returns for the Broncos in Round 1.
The 23-year-old has had a horror run with injuries over the last couple of seasons. He suffered an ACL injury in the final game of the 2020 season. He made his long-awaited return in Round 16 last season, only to suffer a MCL injury three weeks later.
Staggs said on Wednesday that he is back to full fitness and has taken a lot of confidence out of getting an uninterrupted pre-season under his belt.
The star centre also confirmed he’ll be back for the Broncos’ season opener against the Rabbitohs.
“The body is feeling good. There’s times where coaches and staff will pull me out of some drills just to give my legs a bit of a break but I’m basically in everything now, back to full training and back on the edge. I love being back to where I was,” Staggs told the media.
“I did a lot of work to get back onto the field (after the ACL injury). It wasn’t a short period of time, it took nine months until I got back on.
“I was out on the field for four weeks, which I didn’t really plan to do — hopefully I’m there a bit longer this year.
“But it gave me a heap of confidence to be able to have a fresh start in pre-season and get the whole pre-season done, which I hadn’t been able to do for a couple of years now. I’ve missed probably missed a pre-season and a bit, but to be able to do a full pre-season this year, it’s given me a lot of confidence.
“The staff here are great and they are making sure that I am doing everything that I need to make sure that I’m 100 per cent when I run out for that first game of the season.”
Melbourne Storm fans can rest easy, with star full back Ryan Papenhuyzen set to be healthy for round one in seven weeks.
A photo of Papenhuyzen in a moon boot this week had Storm fans worried but the club has confirmed to foxsports.com.au that it’s due to a “minor” sprained ankle.
“A rolled ankle at training - nothing serious,” a club spokesperson said.
Papenhuyzen was plagued by a concussion issues that kept him sidelined for 10 weeks last season.
The NRL Physio also moved to clear Papenhuyzen of series injury on Wednesday afternoon.
“Despite being in a moon boot there’s no major injury for Ryan Papenhuyzen,” he said.
“A minor rolled ankle at training, nothing serious. Boot used to take a bit of pressure off the ankle but likely out of it very soon.
“Absolutely no doubt for Round 1 in 7 weeks time.”
CLUBS CONCERNED ABOUT ALL STARS CLASH
Concerns from club bosses could force the NRL to scrap the Indigenous vs Maori All Stars clash on February 12.
It’s understood the clubs want clarification on what protocols have been put in place before they release star players to go into a week-long All Stars camp.
The concerns come as every club deals with repeated Covid-related interruptions during pre-season.
The Knights went on their Christmas break earlier than initially planned due to several squad members being deemed close contacts, while a number of clubs started back this year with half — or more — of their squad in isolation with Covid-19.
The Titans had 22 players absent from training when they returned, while the Broncos lost 16. The Bulldogs rescheduled postponed a session to wait out the isolation of several players and Panthers coach Ivan Cleary — who contracted Covid — had to watch training via video in his living room.
The disruptions have impacted the fitness of players, which is now causing clubs to have second thoughts about allowing players to attend All Stars week and risk spending another week in isolation if there’s a positive case.
As part of All Stars week, players selected in the Indigenous and Maori squads spend a lot of time in the community. This year’s game is scheduled to be played in Sydney, but the chances of interacting with the New South Wales community look slim given the daily Covid-19 numbers are just under 30,000.
An anonymous club boss share their concerns to the Herald about All Stars commitments impacting a player’s preparation with their NRL club.
“We appreciate the game and what it represents, but it’s not ideal under the circumstances because of everything that is going on everywhere,” they said.
“There has been so much disruption already, and I’m talking about every club, not just ours.
“You have to wonder if the players will have had enough training under the belt because of all the disruptions. Nine times out of 10 you’d say they haven’t. Then you have to put up with having them away from your footy club another week.”
“We’re just after some detail. There’s been none,” they said.
“Ordinarily we wouldn’t be worried about getting details early because we know what the game is about, but given the circumstances we find ourselves in, that detail suddenly becomes more important.
“We aren’t even sure who the coaches are. We’ll see what comes of it on Friday.”
The women’s All Stars clash is set to take place on the same day as the men’s. But the commitment to All Stars week could cause a huge disruption to preparation for the postponed 2021 NRLW season which kicks off just two weeks later.
