By Angela Beswick
Warriors centre Jerome Ropati says he is “itching” to get back on the field after a long off-season following a knee injury.
The 26-year-old was left clutching his knee after making a tackle on Jason Nightingale during the Warriors clash with the St George Illawarra Dragons in round four last year – ruling him out of the remainder of the NRL season.
“I’ve had a few hiccups with the knee the past couple of weeks, but it’s coming right,” he told 3 News during training at Mt Smart this morning.
“Hopefully when we play against the Queensland Cup side (Sunshine Coast) next week in Whangarei I’ll be there.”
But Ropati is well aware of the mental challenge that lays ahead of him as he returns to the field.
“I’ve kind of left some room in the head to kind of prepare for that when it does happen. I’ve heard ACL injuries – it’s not just the ACL. It’s… a lot of complicated things that come with it in the rehab program – especially when you hit the seven to nine month programme, which is where I am now. It’s unfortunate that I can’t get on the field as early as I can during the pre-season games but the best thing going for me right now is patience.”
After an impressive season from the grand finalist Warriors, Ropati says the team faces a lot of pressure.
“But we’re not feeling it at all.
“We’re level-minded, we understand our ability, we can understand where we sit in the competition – there’s other teams that are gunning for it just as much as we are,” he says.
“We’re going to be looked upon a lot more closely and scrutinised and maybe even challenged a little bit more this year, but it’s how we handle the rough periods that’s going to get us through.”
The boys have also taken to their new coach Brian ‘Bluey’ McClennan, following Ivan Cleary’s departure last year.
“We’re certain where we stand,” Ropati explains. “Bluey has made it very clear what our roles are in the team and what our roles are in the club and as an organisation.
“Everyone’s warmed to him very quickly – quicker than I would have expected –which is a good sign. Now we have to be tested throughout the season.”
3 News