Will Pryce is just one week away from returning to full training with the rest of his Hull FC teammates.
The Black and Whites are coming to the end of their second week of pre-season training already and the expectation is that John Cartwright will be working with a full squad of players by the end of the month, with all of FC’s new signings and overseas players expected to report to training by the final week of November.
Pryce will be in full training by that time, too, after overcoming the foot injury he suffered in the win over Leigh Leopards in August. The playmaker was fresh off a lengthy lay-off due to a hamstring injury at the time and the fractured fifth metatarsal ensured he ended the season with just 10 FC appearances for the season.
The 22-year-old had surgery before the end of the season with a screw holding the bone in place. As such, the full-back has spent the last two and half months recovering from the operation, but he is finally on the verge of making a return to training, with pre-season already starting to gather pace in west Hull.
Hull FC playmaker Will Pryce set for injury boost
“My foot’s feeling good and the specialist has given it the all clear, it’s 100 per cent and getting back to full fitness,” Pryce told Serious About RL. “I went and had a few more meetings with a couple more specialists just to make sure I can do everything I can to not have another injury within that area.
“I’ve broken my foot three times now so I’m just doing everything I can to prevent it happening again. My body is feeling great and I’m looking forward to being back in with the team.
“I’m one week off full training. I’m back in full training next week, I’m just with the physios now and I go back in with S and C next week and do a bit more conditioning and testing and after that I’ll be back in with the team. The foot is at 100 per cent but you just have to build up the Ks in your legs, you can’t go straight back into it.”
Pryce was visibly emotional as he left the field against the Leopards with the former Newcastle Knight suspecting that his season may just have reached a premature conclusion. It was the worst way possible for his first year at the MKM Stadium to come to an end, but the setback and his time on the sidelines was a learning experience if nothing else.
“No one wants to be injured, it’s always hard,” Pryce added. “Off the back of having a long term injury with my hamstring and only being back for two weeks, you feel a bit helpless.
“Those moments, especially immediately after the game when you don’t know what you’ve done and you’ve not had the scans yet, that’s probably the most upset you are because you don’t know. At the time I was expecting the worst which it ended up being anyway and I knew the feeling, I’d done it before.
“You learn a lot about yourself and you learn a lot about situations you’ve never been in before. They’re uncomfortable situations and being injured, the hamstring was probably my first long-term injury really.
“I had a few injuries when I was young but that’s the first time I’d missed parts of the season and then having the foot straight after being out for pretty much six months straight, it’s been tough. It’s probably been the best years I’ve had for learning.
“Especially coming to Hull FC where I want to try and be as involved as I can be, being out probably doesn’t help the team or the club. Not a successful year but there’s parts there where I’ve definitely improved and learned from.”
