Leeds Rhinos: Ferres frustrated by injury lay-off

ENGLAND FORWARD Brett Ferres is 'frustrated' by his delayed start to Leeds Rhinos' season but insists the wait will be worthwhile.
Brett FerresBrett Ferres
Brett Ferres

Ferres played through the final three months of last season with a niggling groin problem which has kept him out of Rhinos’ opening two games this year.

But the 30-year-old second-rower can see light at the end of the tunnel and – after “breaking records” in the gym – reckons patience now will pay off later.

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“I am itching to get going,” said Ferres, who joined Rhinos from Huddersfield Giants ahead of the 2016 season and made 26 appearances last year.

“Sitting on the sidelines for the last two weeks and having to watch has been really difficult.

“I am still in a similar situation injury-wise (to during pre-season), it is just very disappointing and very slow and tedious.

“There’s nothing much we can do in what we are doing in training and the help I am getting by the physios and staff.

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“It’s just my body is not reacting to little things and it is taking a bit more time than it was expected to.”

The positive news is the injury is not expected to recur once Ferres is given the all-clear.

He said: “It is just a real slow one and it’s quite a complex thing, there’s little bits that’s breaking with it; I get one thing right and then another thing triggers.

“We have come a long way with it now so we don’t want to rush it right at the end and get a poor result from it.

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“We’re just working hard, trying to get the little things right and hopefully once I am back in, I am back in for good.

“Once it (the injury) has gone, it’s gone.”

Ferres has not set a timescale for his return. He added: “It’s a day-by-day thing.

“I come in some days and I am fantastic, I am running around like I’m 18 years old again and I feel great, but then there’s others when I can’t even get out of bed properly and I feel like I’m 40!

“It’s certainly a tough one. It is hard at the minute because it is the start of Super League and I am missing games and it’s very frustrating for myself.

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“But hopefully I am not a million miles away, I will keep plugging away and keep working hard and hopefully it will come right for me.”

Ferres insisted he will be ready to tear in when he comes off the casualty list.

“Strength-wise and gym-wise it’s the strongest I’ve been,” he reported.

“I’ve been breaking a few records and stuff so I feel great in my body and everything else is fantastic.

“I’ve stripped some weight and I’m feeling in really good nick. It’s just getting this little niggle right and then hopefully once that’s right I’ll be fit and raring to go pretty quickly.”