Sam Tomkins drops major fitness update with Catalans Dragons ‘running out of time’

Sam Tomkins insists he will be fit enough to be involved this weekend as Catalans Dragons take on Salford Red Devils in Super League. It’s a clash that promises to have huge implications on the race for the play-offs, with both Catalans and Salford yet to secure their place in the top six.

The Red Devils are currently fifth in the table and they know a result against the French, with just two more games left to play, could be enough to secure their berth. Catalans, on the other hand, are now seventh and on the outside looking in after losing four of their last five league games.

They know a victory at the Salford Stadium will be enough to leapfrog the Red Devils, though, and they’ll be boosted by the return of Tomkins, who hasn’t featured since injuring his hamstring against Huddersfield Giants last month. The veteran, who stepped out of retirement to help his former club in July, has been forced to watch their last three games from the sidelines.

However, he has confirmed that he will be ready for action this weekend and he’ll be itching to make an impact.

“I’ll be playing at Salford,” Tomkins confirmed to the Mirror. “And it is a massive match. They are a side we’re competing with for one of those top-six spots and they’re playing some good rugby. It’s a huge challenge for us.

“We know we need to get back to some better form and quickly because we’re running out of time. We’re not sitting where we want to be but know it [reaching play-offs] is very doable.”

Head coach Steve McNamara has come under pressure of late, with the club’s president Bernard Guasch being outspoken about the possibility of making key changes after the club’s defeat to London Broncos at the start of last month.

“There’s pressure on Steve, obviously,” Tomkins added. “We’re a results-based industry. He’s not daft.

“But Steve is certainly the man for the job in my opinion given what he’s done for this club over a long period of time. He’s changed the image of Catalans with the way he signs players and transformed us from essentially a bottom-end side into a top-four outfit.”