Dolphins head coach Kristian Woolf admits England international Herbie Farnworth could be set to make a return from injury slightly earlier than expected.
Farnworth picked up a hamstring injury last week in the NRL club’s win over New Zealand Warriors, with the centre being expected to miss around four to six weeks of action. Such a prognosis served to allay any fears of Farnworth missing the upcoming Ashes series against Australia this autumn.
With the Dolphins having just five more regular games of the season to play, there’s a possibility he might not make it onto the field again before the Ashes gets underway. However, with the Dolphins well and truly in the NRL play-off mix at present, the club are determined to give Farnworth something to return for.
Woolf insists he won’t be rushed but he remains optimistic about the England international’s chances of returning with the head coach pointing to the way Farnworth played after spending two days in hospital with a leg infection earlier in the campaign.
NRL boss hopeful of Herbie Farnworth return
“Herbie is pretty incredible with the way that he heals to be honest. We all know he got off the death bed one day and helped us win against the Bulldogs,” coach Kristian Woolf said.
“He has had other injuries where we thought he was gone for games and gone for weeks but he’s managed to heal quickly and go out and play, so I wouldn’t write anything off with Herbie.
“He has a terrific mindset with how he goes about his recovery and gets himself ready to play. He is a big loss. I don’t know when he will be back, it could be a little bit earlier. Hamstrings can be tricky and we are not going to put him at risk but we do want to see him back this year.”
