![\"Nick](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/441fcc43b663461ee537a1fa43bde38dbfcd68a8.png\")
Save<\/p>\nSave<\/p>\n
You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n
Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n It was a phone call that Billy Slater concedes was the most emotional of his coaching career, and the culmination of a chain of events that had threatened to curtail Thomas Flegler\u2019s days in the NRL.<\/p>\n For the best part of two years, as his teammates trained under the Queensland sun, Flegler was seen running endless laps at Redcliffe. There was little more he could do.<\/p>\n Having suffered nerve damage in his shoulder just four games into his Dolphins tenure, his time in rugby league hanged in the balance. A comeback to the State of Origin arena appeared to be a pipe dream.<\/p>\n So when Slater picked up the phone on Sunday night to inform the Tully terror he would be thrust into the Maroons\u2019 forward pack for the first time since 2023, it marked the ultimate comeback from the brink of anguish.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a great story, isn\u2019t it? I made a few calls to players playing their debuts, but Tommy was probably the most emotional on both ends of the phone,\u201d Slater said.<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone knows his journey with his shoulder. Prior to getting that shoulder injury, he was one of the best front-rowers in the game. For him to fight tooth and nail to get back on the field, I think that speaks volumes of who Tom Flegler is.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t cry,\u201d Flegler added, \u201cbut I was a bit emotional too.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n As Flegler struggled to regain mobility and strength in his shoulder, the drastic step of nerve transplant surgery was taken \u2013 a final desperate bid to ensure his Dolphins tenure was not cut short.<\/p>\n Even from that point, he concedes he had to wait six to eight months before he had any indication whether the operation worked.<\/p>\n Related Article Flegler insists that at no point did he truly believe his career was finished, but he admits there were certainly doubts and conversations had with his family about what his reality would look like should he be forced to draw the curtain.<\/p>\n \u201cI had to have those discussions and be a bit realistic at the same time as I was being optimistic. It\u2019s easy to say now, but we kind of knew we would get back to me playing footy,\u201d Flegler said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe hardest thing was the uncertainty at the beginning. I had so much time off and didn\u2019t really have a clear direction on where we were going \u2013 I took six months off, and we were just hoping it would get better.<\/p>\n \u201cThere was probably a year-long period there where you\u2019re just treading water and don\u2019t know if it\u2019s going to get better.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite his ordeal, Flegler revealed that at no point did he consult a pyschologist to help fight any inner demons that were entering his mind.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s part of life, you\u2019ve got some hurdles you\u2019ve got to get over, and some hurdles are bigger than others,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s no point sitting there crying about it because that doesn\u2019t really help anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n Instead, he set about improving in the one area he could in anticipation of the faster game he would be rejoining due to the changing interpretations of the six-again ruck infringement laws. Those mind-numbing laps of Redcliffe Stadium had a purpose.<\/p>\n \u201cOne thing I could do is come back fitter than I ever have,\u201d Flegler said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe game\u2019s definitely gotten a lot quicker since I last played \u2013 it\u2019s been a couple of years \u2013 so that was a bit of a shock when I first came back, but I\u2019m slowly getting used to it now.\u201d<\/p>\n Once Flegler was able to resume full contact training, there was still no certainty he would have the same physical presence that he did before.<\/p>\n But according to Dolphins coach Kristian Woolf, one moment eradicated those fears.<\/p>\n Related Article \u201cWe started to reintroduce him to full contact, and he had no hesitation,\u201d Woolf said.<\/p>\n \u201cThere was a session we had on the mats where we were looking for some full contact, and he really threw his shoulder into it and really threw his body into it. That gave me a lot of confidence that day.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s been tougher than what he did acknowledge. When you\u2019re sitting there with an injury that doesn\u2019t have an end date, it\u2019s really difficult to deal with.\u201d<\/p>\n Now, Flegler is all business \u2013 conquering the New South Wales forward pack.<\/p>\n When asked if there were any Blues he was eager to tear into, he was quick to offer a sharp response: \u201cEveryone.\u201d<\/p>\n Flegler and Maroons teammates Max Plath, Selwyn Cobbo and Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow will miss the Dolphins\u2019 clash with Canberra on Thursday. Woolf also confirmed Herbie Farnworth was ruled out with hamstring tightness and would be replaced by Oryn Keeley.<\/p>\n Start the day with a summary of the day\u2019s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n![\"Billy](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/45a2c03de0e19f0c14c6358360fb7a9deb05e06e.jpeg\")
Billy Slater revealed his call to Thomas Flegler was the most emotional he made.Getty Images<\/p>\n![\"Max](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1778829496_251_9c031b54ce1395ea610d8fd60eea7cd31381eac85a0b56e3963cac6d51c0c9bf.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Hudson](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/4249db559508c103e53c5f485d59fcbe8f3e7433.jpeg\")
Hudson Young and Tom Flegler face off.Getty<\/p>\n![\"Queensland](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/a4e255b22fa02078e62daf535460918cb89b8578d1d68d01c1c9dce13836e408.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n