NRL 2024: Injured Brisbane Broncos captain Adam Reynolds slams reports his season is over
Injured Brisbane Broncos captain Adam Reynolds has addressed speculation he will miss the rest of the season with a biceps rupture.
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Adam Reynolds has addressed speculation he will miss the rest of the season with the Broncos captain declaring he will be back to lead Brisbane’s finals charge.
The Broncos were rocked by reports on Tuesday that Reynolds - their most important player - could be wiped out for the rest of the 2024 season after rupturing his biceps in round 9 against the Roosters.
At the time of undergoing surgery in May, Reynolds was told he was expected to miss four to five months, putting him on track for a return on the eve of this year’s playoffs.
Just hours after Reynolds was seen running comfortably at Broncos training on Tuesday, wearing a red no-contact bib, Brisbane were buffeted by suggestions their star skipper might not play again this season.
However, Reynolds has set the record straight, adamant he will be back in action this season with the champion No.7 eyeing a return over the next month in his mission to steer 10th-placed Brisbane to the playoffs.
Asked if he had been ruled out for the rest of the season by Broncos medicos, Reynolds said: “Not true, I’m on track to play as scheduled.”
The best-case scenario will see Reynolds cleared for Brisbane’s derby against the Titans in round 22 on Saturday, August 3 at Cbus Super Stadium.
Should Brisbane’s high-performance unit choose to be more cautious, Reynolds will get the green light the following week for the Broncos’ XXXX derby against the Cowboys in Townsville on Saturday, August 10.
Either way, the relief for the Broncos is Reynolds will definitely be back this season, with coach Kevin Walters sweating on his skipper’s return as Brisbane fight to avert a fifth straight loss this Friday night against Penrith.
“It is a bit early to predict when he will be back but he is running well and his body weight is good,” Walters said.
“He looks fresh and happy.
“His return will probably be a bit later than (round 20).”
The Broncos have lost five of nine matches without Reynolds this season and pressure is building on his understudy Jock Madden to get the job done against the Panthers in the grand-final replay.
Walters remains confident Brisbane can remain in the top-eight hunt before chief commander Reynolds returns to ignite the Broncos’ late-season premiership assault.
However, Broncos playmaking legend Darren Lockyer says Brisbane can’t rely solely on Reynolds to fix their issues.
“There’s no point talking about it because the Broncos can’t get him (Reynolds) back any time soon,” said Channel 9 analyst Lockyer.
“Every time we talk about it, I think it’s a distraction for someone like Ezra (Mam) and Jock (Madden). It is what it is.
“Bring Reece Walsh back in, there’s points there, but they still have to find a way to build pressure to create opportunities.
“At the moment, the Broncos are trying to force those opportunities without building pressure.”
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Originally published as NRL 2024: Injured Brisbane Broncos captain Adam Reynolds slams reports his season is over
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