The Dolphins‘ pre-season preparations have taken a cruel hit, with representative hooker Jeremy Marshall-King set to be ruled out of the start of the NRL season after undergoing knee surgery. The Dolphins confirmed that the Kiwi Test star picked up a meniscus injury in his right knee after accidentally slipping over at home.
The club says Marshall-King’s surgery was a “success” but the timeline on his recovery is set to be anywhere between three-to-four months. It means the crafty hooker is set to miss at least the first five weeks of the new NRL season, which gets underway in March. The Dolphins begin their new campaign at home to the Rabbitohs on Sunday, March 8.
Dolphins coach Kristian Woolf (L) will be without hooker Jeremy Marshall-King (far right) for the start of the NRL season after the rep star underwent surgery on a knee injury. Pic: Getty
The Dolphins are hopeful that Marshall-King will be able to make his NRL return in round seven, after the club’s bye in round six. But the club’s Head of Performance Jeremy Hickmans says it will all depend on the speed of the recovery for 30-year-old Marshall-King, who has a lengthy injury history.
“The surgery was successful so Jeremy will now begin his rehabilitation,” Hickmans said. “The timeline (on his return) will be dependent on how that rehabilitation progresses, and he is certainly going to miss some games at the start of the season. But if all goes well he will be a chance to return somewhere around our first bye in round six.”
The setback represents a significant blow for Kristian Woolf’s Dolphins side, with Marshall-King’s ruck speed and service from dummy half a major part of their impressive attack. The Kiwi hooker also gets through plenty of work in defence and how the Dolphins cope with his absence could go a long way to shaping their season.
Several Dolphins stars set to return from long-term injuries
Woolf does have a number of options at his disposal in the hooking department, with the versatile Max Plath, Kurt Donoghoe and young gun John Fineanganofo among the contenders. However, Plath is still recovering from an ACL injury he suffered last season and is not expected to be available for round one, despite revealing this week he’s happy with how his recovery is going.
Max Plath is one of a number of Dolphins stars who are set to return from long-term injuries next season. Pic: Getty
“I’ve done it before, I know what it’s like and I know it’s going to be fine,” Plath said. “It’s been a long six months, but it’s coming along really strong now, it’s at the point where they’re actually holding me back a little bit.”
In better news on the injury front for the Dolphins, former Maroons prop Tom Flegler is eyeing a round one comeback after surgery on a severe shoulder injury that’s kept him sidelined for more than a year. And skipper Tom Gilbert is also set to take his place in the first trial against the Titans on February 12 after a ruptured pectoral injury that followed season-ending ACL and shoulder setbacks last year.