By Michael John Oliver
Warriors loose forward Micheal Luck will miss the first month of the NRL season, following surgery to reattach the clavicle in his left shoulder.
The 29-year-old will go under the knife on Thursday and is expected to be out of action for the next 12 weeks.
Luck aggravated the injury during pre-season training, having played with it for the past two seasons with minimal hassle.
It will be the second time Luck has had surgery since the Warriors 24-10 loss to Manly in this year’s NRL grand final, the first to repair a broken wrist he sustained during the match.
But the talismanic loose forward says he can’t ignore the dodgy shoulder any longer.
“I’ve managed to get by with it, and it felt fine at the end of last season,” Luck says.
“It’s getting worse, and I just have to have the operation as soon as possible.”
Luck says he he’s frustrated to miss the first month of play and the side’s three warm up matches, but says he’s eager to get the operation out of the way.
“It’s really disappointing and it’ll make for a tough Christmas Day, but it’s better to have ti sorted out now so I can get back as soon as possible once the season starts.”
Warriors coach Brian McClennan says the whole team felt for Luck.
“It’s really disappointing for him. He’s been great leading the boys during the pre-season so far,” McClennan says.
“But looking at it as positively as possible, with Lucky having surgery now, it allows us to plan ahead for our first block of games until he’s ready to play again. It also gives other players a chance to impress.”
Luck has only missed 10 out of 154 matches since joining the Warriors in 2006.
He’s expected to be back for in time for the Warriors clash with the Canberra Raiders in early April.
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