nib Newcastle Knight Daniel Saifiti is almost halfway through six months of rehabilitation following a shoulder reconstruction in the off-season.
The big forward is training alongside teammate Mitch Barnett, who also had shoulder surgery, as the pair follow a specialised training program on their road to recovery.
“Recovery is a bit repetitive and it can be annoying not being with the boys and not getting the footy in the hands, but I get to train with Mitch which makes life a bit easier,” explained Saifiti.
“There has been a lot of running, a lot of leg weights.”
The 21-year-old injured his shoulder in last season’s Round 25 match against the Canberra Raiders.
“There was no other way around it other than getting surgery… it was annoying but it is what we had to do,” Saifiti stated.
“I had a full reconstruction which is a long six-month injury, but we’re almost halfway there now and it is getting a bit easier.”
But the gym work is starting to ramp up.
“We were getting smashed in the legs there for a bit but now we’re starting to get a bit more range,” Saifiti commented.
“A bit less pain and a bit more upper body so that is something we like to do as well.”
