Break has given Mitch Garbutt and Hull KR to regain full fitness

NOW FULLY recovered from a pre-lockdown injury scare, two-time Grand Final winner Mitch Garbutt is confident Hull Kingston Rovers can hit the ground running when Super League resumes next month.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com - 01/02/2019 - Rugby League - Betfred Super League - Hull KR v Hull FC - KC Lightstream Stadium, Hull, England - Mitch Garbutt is tackled by Scott Taylor, Sika Manu & Danny Washbrook.Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com - 01/02/2019 - Rugby League - Betfred Super League - Hull KR v Hull FC - KC Lightstream Stadium, Hull, England - Mitch Garbutt is tackled by Scott Taylor, Sika Manu & Danny Washbrook.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com - 01/02/2019 - Rugby League - Betfred Super League - Hull KR v Hull FC - KC Lightstream Stadium, Hull, England - Mitch Garbutt is tackled by Scott Taylor, Sika Manu & Danny Washbrook.

Garbutt “copped a knock” to his head during the Robins’ 28-8 loss to Castleford Tigers on February 27 and missed their final two games before rugby league was suspended on March 16.

That was the latest in a series of setbacks to afflict Rovers over the opening weeks of the campaign and in that regard, rugby league’s long unscheduled lay-off has proved a blessing in disguise.

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The East Yorkshire side will bring the curtain back up on the competition when they face Toronto Wolfpack on Sunday, August 2 and Garbutt expects to be available, along with most of the Robins’ big guns.

Toronto Wolfpack's head coach Brian McDermott before the Challenge Cup match at the John Smith's Stadium, Huddersfield. PA Photo. Picture date: Wednesday March 11, 2020. See PA story RUGBYL Huddersfield. Photo credit should read: Richard Sellers/PA Wire. RESTRICTIONS: Editorial use only. No commercial use. No false commercial association. No video emulation. No manipulation of images.Toronto Wolfpack's head coach Brian McDermott before the Challenge Cup match at the John Smith's Stadium, Huddersfield. PA Photo. Picture date: Wednesday March 11, 2020. See PA story RUGBYL Huddersfield. Photo credit should read: Richard Sellers/PA Wire. RESTRICTIONS: Editorial use only. No commercial use. No false commercial association. No video emulation. No manipulation of images.
Toronto Wolfpack's head coach Brian McDermott before the Challenge Cup match at the John Smith's Stadium, Huddersfield. PA Photo. Picture date: Wednesday March 11, 2020. See PA story RUGBYL Huddersfield. Photo credit should read: Richard Sellers/PA Wire. RESTRICTIONS: Editorial use only. No commercial use. No false commercial association. No video emulation. No manipulation of images.

Outlining his concussion concern, Garbutt admitted: “I can’t remember it, to be honest and I don’t think it was too bad in the game, but I had some nasty side effects.”

The Australian forward, who was a Super League champion with Leeds in 2015 and 2017 before joining Rovers ahead of last season, revealed: “My speech was pretty bad and I developed a bit of a twitch in my eye which was there for a good month.

“It has all cleared up now, but it was a pretty ordinary few weeks, to be honest; I had some bad headaches and stuff, but I am good to go now.

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“I am well rested and I think KR are going to have a full-strength side.

Leeds Rhinos' Danny McGuire celebrates scoring a try with team mate Mitch Garbutt during the Betfred Super League Grand Final at Old Trafford, Manchester. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Saturday October 7, 2017. See PA story RUGBYL Final. Photo credit should read: Richard Sellers/PA Wire. RESTRICTIONS: Editorial use only. No commercial use. No false commercial association. No video emulation. No manipulation of imagesLeeds Rhinos' Danny McGuire celebrates scoring a try with team mate Mitch Garbutt during the Betfred Super League Grand Final at Old Trafford, Manchester. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Saturday October 7, 2017. See PA story RUGBYL Final. Photo credit should read: Richard Sellers/PA Wire. RESTRICTIONS: Editorial use only. No commercial use. No false commercial association. No video emulation. No manipulation of images
Leeds Rhinos' Danny McGuire celebrates scoring a try with team mate Mitch Garbutt during the Betfred Super League Grand Final at Old Trafford, Manchester. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Saturday October 7, 2017. See PA story RUGBYL Final. Photo credit should read: Richard Sellers/PA Wire. RESTRICTIONS: Editorial use only. No commercial use. No false commercial association. No video emulation. No manipulation of images

“I don’t think I’ve been able to say that much since I’ve been here so it will be good to see what we’ve actually got once we get on the field.”

Rovers are second from bottom in Super League, having lost five successive games since their round one win over Wakefield Trinity.

They needed a try on the last play to squeeze through a tense Challenge Cup tie against Championship side Leigh Centurions in their final game before the shutdown, but Garbutt believes the restart will be a “clean slate”.

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He said: “Form has probably gone out of the window now; it will be almost five months since we played and I don’t think anyone remembers how you were going five months ago.

“If we start well, hopefully that will be a sign of things to come once the season gets into full swing.”

Garbutt feels Rovers are a much better team than their current lowly league position suggests, particularly when coach Tony Smith can pick his first-choice line-up.

“We’ve got a very broad spectrum,” observed the 31-year-old front-rower.

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“We have got a lot of youth, a lot of blokes just starting out on their Super League journey, so there’s plenty of room for improvement for a lot of people. The older fellas are always looking to get a bit better and improve on things too. The good thing about a young side is there’s a lot of room for improvement and I think we’ll be able to show that once we are back.”

Wolfpack are the team below Rovers on the table and Garbutt, who will be going up against his ex-Leeds coach Brian McDermott and a number of former teammates from his days at Headingley, reckons the first game back is an intriguing prospect.

He said: “It will be good, I think Toronto, too, will have been happy to have had a bit of time off.

“They’ve got to refresh their bodies and it should be two pretty fresh sides ready to go.”

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Of McDermott, Garbutt said: “I was talking the other day with Brad Singleton [Toronto’s ex-Leeds front-rower] about some things and Mac always comes up.

“I had a lot of good times with Mac; he is always good for a laugh.”

Teams will have three weeks to prepare before their return to action and Garbutt is relieved to be getting back to his day job, though the positive from a difficult situation is the extra time he has spent with his two children, aged five and three.

“It has been a bit testing at times during the lockdown, especially early on when we couldn’t really go anywhere,” he said.

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“But it has been pretty good, to be fair and I’ve enjoyed spending more time with the family than I normally would.

“We got into a routine pretty quickly. I am lucky enough to have a bit of training equipment, a wattbike and all that sort of stuff, so I’ve been able to keep training and it has been good being at home with the kids.”

Like many parents, Garbutt has been pressed into home schooling duties, but admitted: “That has been minimal, to be honest.

“I have tried a few times, but my daughter, who is in reception, apparently knows more than I do about everything so I just let her take control of lessons and go from there.”

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