After falling in the Storm’s Round 10 match against the Tigers, people feared the worst, but Christian Welch was cleared of any serious knee injury, and is now close to making his recovery.
The initial timeline was 12 months for Welch but luckily he only required minor surgery on his meniscus which should only require four to six weeks on the sideline.
But the news kept getting better for Welch as his recovery is ahead of schedule and he’s hoping he can convince doctors he’s ready for the Storm’s next match against the Warriors on June 8th.
"There is no real structural damage, they have just gone in and taken out the meniscus, so it's just how the knee settles now,” he told nrl.com.
"If everything falls into place then hopefully next weekend, if not, maybe the weekend after.”
The proud Queenslander, whose dream it was to play in an Origin game, is happy to put his debut on hold for at least a few weeks. If he can return for the match against the Warriors he will then be eligible for the second Origin match in Perth on Sunday June 23rd.
“I think I was the happiest man ever to tear a meniscus," Welch said.
"It was a goal to play Origin, but I am just glad going to be back this year playing for the Storm.
"I am trying to be very aggressive with it, but at the same time I have got my physio staff who are looking after my long-term (health).
"Obviously I am very eager to come back, but if it’s not right, it’s not right and I will just take my time.
"At the moment I am being pretty aggressive with my rehab ... see how the knee reacts from there and plan accordingly."