Sharks centre KL Iro has thanked the club\u2019s medical staff for going against his surgeon\u2019s advice to help him return just in time for the finals after he initially thought that a ruptured pectoral muscle would end his 2025 campaign. <\/p>\n
Iro was one of the form centres to start the season with tries in each of his first nine matches despite missing a month with a hamstring strain. <\/p>\n
He maintained that form after returning from injury, but his season stalled dramatically in round 14 when he was forced off in the second half of Cronulla\u2019s game against the Warriors after he injured himself while making a tackle.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I did it and walked into the sheds, I thought \u2018my season is done\u2019,\u201d he told the NewsWire. <\/p>\n
\u201cI knew it was torn, so I asked the doctor how long it would take for me to be back. They said 10-12 weeks if you travel well, so I said \u2018sweet, I\u2019ll see you in 10 weeks\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cI looked at my phone straight away and looked at when 10 weeks would get me back, and that\u2019s why I was confident I\u2019d be back this year.\u201d<\/p>\n
What made it tougher was that Iro had a stack of friends and family at the ground to support an under-13 team from the Cook Islands that had flown over to play the Kurnell Stingrays as a curtain-raiser. <\/p>\n
\u201cAll my family was there, so that made it more devastating because I had to act positive for them after the game,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn my head I was thinking I just wanted to go home and lie down by myself.\u201d<\/p>\n
Iro suffered the injury on June 7 and was back playing on August 31 for the round 26 win over the Knights, with the strike centre thanking the medical staff for helping him recover so quickly. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe club actually let me go back home to the Cook Islands to be with family and not think about footy, and I think that was massive for me because when you\u2019re mentally feeling good, the body will follow,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat helped me a lot mentally. I was in a sling for the first two weeks, so I couldn\u2019t do anything except clench my fists.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe physios were massive for me. They helped me push my progress quicker, so I ended up going against the surgeon. The physio said we can accelerate this and make it quicker, so I pushed it pretty hard.\u201d<\/p>\n
Iro has put the injury behind him and is getting ready for Friday\u2019s preliminary final in Melbourne after his left edge dominated the Raiders last weekend. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt was hard when the injury hit because I was just coming back from a hamstring injury, so I\u2019d had a bit of a rollercoaster year,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was feeling really good and confident at the start of the year, so the injuries were really disappointing. <\/p>\n
\u201cThankfully, I\u2019m building my form again at the right time of the year in the finals when every game matters more.\u201d<\/p>\n