Leeds Rhinos: Delaney's been '˜through hell and back' with horrific facial injury

The 32-year-old has not played since Rhinos’ defeat at Castleford Tigers on July 8.

He left the field with blood streaming from his face and revealed he has undergone major surgery on a badly fractured eye socket, had his nose broken in two places and has twice been struck by an infection which has left the damaged eye still closed more than a month after the impact.

Despite all that, Delaney – who is out of contract at the end of the season – has pledged to play again this year.

The second-rower joined Rhinos in 2010 from Gold Coast Titans and has battled back from a series of injury problems but said his latest setback has been among the worst.

“I’ve been through hell and back with this,” he said.

“I don’t think people realise how bad it was, it was absolutely shocking.

“I fractured my eye socket and one side of it dropped four centimetres, it was that bad.

“I knew it was my eye – it felt like it was going to drop out – and then I found out my nose was broken in two spots, on either side.

“All that in one tackle. It has been a nightmare, one of the worst injuries I have ever had.”

Delaney had an operation eight days after he was hurt, having had to give the swelling time to go down.

“The surgeon said when he went in it was a lot worse than the scans showed,” he said.

“Originally it was supposed to be a six-eight week injury, but the specialist is saying five weeks from now.

“I have got a plate in there the size of my thumb and screws to hold the fracture together. It was a major operation.”

Two infections delayed Delaney’s recovery and his eye is now fully closed again.

Once it reopens he will have to wait for blurred and double vision to clear up before he is given the green light to resume playing.

The game at Castleford was Rhinos’ 23rd of the season and Delaney’s 16th appearance.

“It’s frustrating,” he conceded.

“I’ve missed a couple of games with my back and I got rested, but my body has never felt better.

“Once again I’ve been unlucky, it was a freak thing and it has been really, really bad, but I am getting there.”

And he pledged: “I will play again this year.

“I want to get the last couple of games in, I am not going to let it defeat me.

“I am aiming for the Salford game [on September 14].

“That’s when the specialist says I can do contact work, but when I can see I will play.

“I just want to get back out there.”

Delaney, a three-time Grand Final winner and twice a Challenge Cup victor, said his future at Leeds beyond this year has yet to be decided.

“We are still in talks,” he said.

“Obviously I am injured at the moment and I am just trying to get that right.”