267 days after suffering a nasty ankle injury, Shane Wright is back in action for Salford Red Devils.
It has been a slow and gradual process to recovery, but after months and months of rehab, the Aussie is raring to go for our Betfred Super League opener against Leeds Rhinos tomorrow evening.
Wright fell awkwardly following a late tackle in a match against St Helens last season and the injury sustained ruled him out for the remainder of 2023.
He returned to regular field work with the team during pre-season and has now tasted valuable match minutes for the first time, at the same venue he suffered his injury blow.
Speaking exclusively to our YouTube channel, Wright was asked to describe his emotions: “First of all, I didn’t know it was 267 days – that’s actually quite a long time.” he said.
“It’s exciting, it’s a whole bunch of emotions really, but like I’ve said from the get-go in pre-season, I’m just happy to be out their doing things with the boys again.
“Pumped to be back out there!” he concluded.
With a new three-year contract signed, sealed and delivered during the off-season, this really does feel like a fresh start for the Aussie.
“I think last year I said I felt more comfortable, but obviously I’m coming into my third season here, so I feel even more comfortable even though I didn’t play the back end of last year,” Wright continued.
“It definitely is a fresh start, I’ve had a big lay-off, so I’m ready to get back out there and have another crack.”
On his goals for the upcoming season and how he’s managing his workload, he said: “Everyone is different. I guess personally I have my own things I want to work for.
“Look, I know I played on the weekend, but I still feel like I’ve got a bit to go to get me back to where I was, so it’s just getting back out there and taking it training-by-training, and game-by-game.”
To see our full interview with Shane, click here to head to our YouTube channel.
