Danny Walker's promising recovery update with 'best-case scenario' revealed
DANNY Walker has issued a promising update on his recovery from injury as he closes in on a return to the Warrington Wolves side.
Having been struck down at the end of April as part of an unprecedented injury crisis this year, the hooker appears to be next in line for a comeback as he nears the end of his rehabilitation following knee surgery.
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In the immediate short-term, The Wire's focus will be on making sure their season is still alive when their number nine becomes available again as Walker outlined the 'best-case scenario' for his return.
'I'm doing alright and my recovery has gone really well. Hopefully I've only got three or four weeks left now,' he told the Warrington Guardian.
'I'm back running and I've got another running session for Thursday, so everything is going well so far.
'We're looking at the Leigh game after the break – that would be the best-case scenario I think.
'It's just about pushing it – it's definitely doable but we'll see.'
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It was an injury that ticked off an unwanted career-first for the 26-year-old Warringtonian, who has not featured since helping his hometown club beat St Helens in Round Nine.
Walker has not featured since the Round Nine victory over St Helens (Image: John Baldwin Photography) For that game and the defeat at Leigh Leopards before it, Walker had been moved to stand-off after George Williams had suffered an ankle injury before he too was struck down.
'It was a lateral meniscus injury. It's meant to be a 16-week recovery, but we've got some great physios that do a lot of good stuff to get that period down,' he said.
'It's a weird one as I don't really remember doing it.
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'I just remember training on the Wednesday before Magic Weekend and feeling something in my knee.
'They sent me for a scan and I was just expecting a little tear on something, but I'd done enough to need a big operation.
'It may have started in the Saints game the week before or even before that, but we're still not sure.
'It felt a little bit sore in the Saints game but I just went on with it, but I knew something wasn't right leading up to Magic.
'This was my first ever surgery from a rugby injury. I was a bit gutted about it but it's not been a bad innings having got to this stage without having needed anything like that.
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'I've done little things here and there but this has been my first big lay-off. It will make me a better player and a better person, I think.'
As everyone of a Warrington persuasion knows all too well, Walker has had plenty of company in the treatment room at different stages.
Williams, Matty Ashton, Marc Sneyd, Matt Dufty and Oli Leyland have all had significant injuries, as have youngsters Leon Hayes, Cai Taylor-Wray, Arron Lindop and Adam Holroyd.
Walker, Ashton, Leyland and Hayes were forced to sit out the opportunity to play at Wembley in the Challenge Cup Final, which The Wire lost agonisingly to Hull KR.
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'You never want a big injury list, but having a lot of company in rehab does help you especially around games like Wembley,' Walker said.
'For myself and Matty Ashton – we like to think we'd have been out there playing had we not been injured but we were glad to have each other there.
'It's difficult to sit and watch games like that.
'We've all been competing with each other on weights and things like that – Cai Taylor-Wray is another one who is going to come back so much better as he's put on a lot of size, so fair play to him.
'It's been so hard to watch. I wear my heart on my sleeve so I have really struggled watching.
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'I feel every emotion watching, probably more than I would do playing.
'You just want to be out there helping your teammates out, especially as things haven't been going as well and the boys have been a bit down in the dumps.
'They've been working their socks off, they got a good win at the weekend and hopefully that will build confidence leading into this next block.
'Believe it or not, I don't think we've been too far away on certain things. It's moments where we've been losing it, but we won those at the weekend.
'That's what we've got to keep doing as we've got no second chances now and it's all go.'
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