"It's a good laugh, this." Those were the thoughts of Hull FC forward Brad Fash as he left the field at Castleford Tigers last Friday night, less than one minute into his comeback game. The 28-year-old was involved in an awkward collision on the very first set, and after some consultation with the club's medical staff, he was soon off for a head injury assessment.
That's common practice for a Super League player in this day and age, but for one returning after three months out with an ankle injury, you could have forgiven him for thinking the worst. Fash hadn't played since injuring his ankle against Wigan in pre-season in a knock that required surgery, but thankfully, after passing the necessary checklists, he got the go-ahead to return. "I was more annoyed than anything," Fash continued.
"I went down with my shoulder, and they thought I had hurt my head. Luckily, it's only 15 minutes for the HIA, so it wasn't too long. "As for the game, I was a little bit off the pace, given that I've not run for a number of weeks, but other than that, it wasn't too bad.
Like anytime when you're injured, it's been a bit of a drag, and you've got to put the hard work in, but I'm fine now. I'm done with my rehab and recovery, and I'm feeling a lot better. "That was my first full week of proper training leading up to the game.
Grixy was happy with me and said, 'If I'm good to go, then I can play.' I was happy with where I was. You're only going to get fitter by playing, and I need those minute.
