Injured Canberra five-eighth Terry Campese has called on his teammates to “hit the ground running” as he aims for an early return to the NRL.
After undergoing a knee reconstruction last September, there were concerns that Campese might miss a significant part of the regular season. However, the 26-year-old stated he is making good progress and is on track to compete against North Queensland in round 13.
“I’ve actually been running a fair bit lately, so I’ve been contemplating going to (coach David Furner) and saying ‘I’m ready for round one’, but it’s still a few months away and coming along nicely,” Campese remarked.
Club insiders suggest that the skilled playmaker is ahead of his recovery schedule, yet Campese prefers to avoid the risk of re-injuring his knee by returning prematurely.
Since Canberra has a bye in round 12, the upcoming clash with the Cowboys a week later appears to be the most probable date for his comeback.
“It’s something I’d rather just wait the whole time no matter how good it is feeling,” Campese elaborated.
“I’d rather it be 100 per cent by the time I come back and then I’ve got all the confidence just to worry about football and not go into games thinking about my knee.
“To be honest, I just can’t wait until round 13.”
Meanwhile, Campese anticipates that his younger teammates will meet pre-season expectations, guided by the new signing Matt Orford.
With Orford currently working through a groin injury in hopes of being fit for round one and controlling the game at halfback, Campese is optimistic about returning to a team on the trajectory towards finals football.
“That’s what I’m most upset about is not running out with him,” Campese added.
“We’ve just got to stay level-headed and keep doing the things we were doing last year, all the little things in the game.
“We’ve just got to hit the ground running when round one comes around because we didn’t start well at the beginning of last year.”
by Buford Balony
