Jarrod Croker has passed the first test for his repaired knee with flying colours, playing more minutes than expected in the Raiders win over the Roosters.
“It didn’t seem like much, but it felt good to be out there and moving a lot better,” he said after being subbed off at half time.
“It’s only a start, but it’s a good start.”
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Due to injuries elsewhere in the side – including a concerning knee knock for new signing Peter Hola – Croker was thrown back on for the second half – scoring the match-sealing try in the process.
It was a piecemeal effort from the Raiders, who had one point had Croker playing five-eighth and Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad playing hooker.
Croker had stem-cell surgery on his knee last October, in a last-ditch bid to leave troublesome and repeated injuries behind him.
The 31-year-old is still under contract until the end of 2023, so to get through half a game of footy will be a massive boost for his confidence.
He currently sits third on the all-time pointscorer’s charts on 2238, still more than 500 behind Cameron Smith.
“It was nice to control a lot of the half and have a lot of the ball – the wind behind the back made it a bit easier,” Croker said.
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