Newcastle Knights forward Robbie Rochow remains at least two weeks away from returning to the field after breaking his arm in Round 16.
After sitting out for much of the first half of the season after undergoing surgery on his back, in only his second game back on the paddock, he broke his arm in a match against the Brisbane Broncos at Suncorp Stadium.
“I’m still doing my back rehab, that’s something I’ll always have to do. But it’s feeling great,” Rochow said.
“With my arm, there’s not too much rehab I can do. It’s a bit of a time factor to let the bone heal around this plate they’ve put in.
“I’m just training and pretty much just running and doing light weights."
In what was a tough blow for the dedicated second rower, he was forced to head back to rehab training after proving fitness ahead of schedule after his back injury.
“It’s always a mental challenge whether you’re injured or not,” he said.
“You accept injuries are a part of the game and I could accept my back as I’ve have had problems with my nerve for a while.
“My arm was just wrong place wrong time.
“It was a little bit mentally challenging to get through initially, but now not so much.
"I have so much support around here and have a few other things going on to take my focus off that.
“I really want it to heal up properly so I can back to playing with the boys.”
Remaining an integral part of the team has been a priority for the 24-year-old.
“I try to get a few boys around for dinner every week and am living with Jaelen Feeney so I’m just trying to focus on staying in good shape,” he said.
“The initial diagnosis was I might not play again for this year... but the last three weeks have been good for me and I’ve started to feel a lot fitter.
“I’m trying to contribute to this team a bit more than what I have been able to all year.
“It’s hard when you’re injured, but that’s he card I’ve been dealt.”
