Will Genia prepares to launch comeback in NRC as he aims for Wallabies recall

FATHER-TO-BE Will Genia has targeted a 40-minute hitout for Brisbane City at Ballymore on Saturday as his first step to regaining the halfback job at the Wallabies.

FATHER-TO-BE Will Genia has targeted a ­40-minute hitout for Brisbane City at Ballymore on ­Saturday as his first step to ­regaining the halfback job for the Wallabies.

He will return a fit, ­refreshed and hungry ­competitor, having not played for three months.

His surprise omission from even the Wallabies bench for the first two Tests against France in June was an opportunity to have ­surgery on the troublesome ankle injury he had been carrying since April. There was more ­ligament and bone damage in the joint than Genia ever imagined.

The clean-up has given him time to contemplate a strong second half to the year, and also the forthcoming change in his ­lifestyle when his wife ­Vanessa has their first child.

“There were more issues in the ankle than the doc and I thought would be there. The recovery has taken a bit longer than ­expected but now I just want to play footy again,” he said.

“The plan is 40 minutes for Brisbane City next weekend. I’m not sure where things go from there.”

More than the physical rehabilitation, Genia needed some head-clearing time away to get in the right space to play his best brand of rugby again.

The failed Reds season had many casualties and Genia was one. But he cast off the shackles with a ­superb ­display in his 100th game for the Reds in the win over the Highlanders on May 30.

Genia’s inclusion in training with the Wallabies, even as a non-official ­member of the party, for the week leading up to the September 13 Test against Argentina at the Gold Coast, will be an important part of his ­transition.

Originally published as Will Genia prepares to launch comeback in NRC as he aims for Wallabies recall