Recovery Report: Pearce, Best updates

 The nib Newcastle Knights may be north of the border in quarantine, but that won’t stop you from hearing the latest out of the recovery unit.

Brought to you by Allara Learning, this is the Round 19 Recovery Report.

(The usual video version of the report will return next week)

MITCHELL PEARCE

One name who has been notably absent from the last two team sheets is that of our No.7.

Pearce suffered a low-grade hamstring strain in the lead up to last week’s clash with Melbourne, however Head of Physical Performance, Balin Cupples, said he’s confident the 32-year-old won’t be on the sideline for much longer.

“Mitch has been building through his running progressions this week and is looking stronger every day,” Cupples said.

“As always, Mitch has applied himself extremely well and continues to add contributions to the group. 

“He’s progressing nicely and isn’t far away from a return.”

BRADMAN BEST

A true strike weapon in the centres, Best hasn’t been sighted on the park since suffering a syndesmosis injury against South Sydney back in June.

Now six weeks post-surgery, Best is entering the home stretch of his recovery and is expected to return imminently.

“Bradman is progressing through the final stages of his return-to-play process and is really close to a return,” Cupples said.

“His next step is team integration, and should he tick the last few boxes along the way, we should see Bradman back in the team really soon.”

PASAMI SAULO

Looking at how Saulo has been training, it’s easy to forget just how serious his original injury was when he went down in Wagga playing a reserve grade game against Canberra.

Saulo joined the team in relocating to Twin Waters on the Sunshine Coast and has integrated back into team training sessions.

Cupples said he is continually impressed by Saulo’s commitment to his rehab.

“Pasami is building really nicely through his contact work and team scenario-based training,” he said.

“We’re really excited to see Pasami back into regular team training after 11 long weeks on the sideline.”