Corban McGregor still involved in Roosters preparation despite not playing
CORBAN McGregor knew her NRLW season was done when she dislocated her shoulder during Origin, but she’s still very much a part of the Sydney Roosters inaugural campaign.
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AS soon as Corban McGregor was told she had dislocated her shoulder again she knew her NRL Women’s season was gone.
It was early during the State of Origin in June that McGregor went off with a shoulder injury and she didn’t play a further part in NSW’s third straight win over Queensland.
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She celebrated with her teammates but there was the disappointment too, knowing she wouldn’t run out for the Roosters in September.
It was the second time McGregor had done the injury and this time she would need surgery, meaning it was rehab squad before pre-season had even begun.
“As soon as it happened, I hoped it was a bit of a stinger, but unfortunately not and as soon as they said it had redislocated I knew that was no NRL season for me,” McGregor told The Daily Telegraph.
“I did try to hit up my exercise physiologist who helped the first time and asked if there was any chance I could go without surgery and he said no and then the doctor confirmed it too.
“It was tough to hear but in the back of my head I knew that’s what was coming.”
She hasn’t been ruled out completely though.
Coach Adam Hartigan decided not to replace her in the squad, which he was able to do because her rehab made her unavailable for the entire season. Instead, the Roosters have involved McGregor in other ways.
McGregor hosts the Roosters TV segments for their website with Anthony Minichiello doing the men’s pieces and McGregor now covering the women.
She’s attending every training session too, helping out where she can and watching with her coach’s eye while also filing away everything for when she does get the chance to run out in an NRL jersey next year.
“I want to be involved just as much as if I was going to be running out as they girls will next month,” she said.
“I’m also thinking beyond, I want to know on field as well as off field. I want to know what they’re learning as well as I can without actually be able to do it. Trying to soak it all up as much as I can.
“They’ve [the Roosters] given me some cool things to be involved with. I still feel very much part of it.”
Plus, it helps going through her rehab with the Roosters resources available to her.
“At the back of my head I knew what (the men) got, I’m not surprised, but happy I guess that we’re being treated the same,” McGregor said.
“When they say, after training we’re going to get cryotherapy, which would usually cost us a couple of hundred dollars just to be in the chamber for a couple of minutes ... All those resources that are available for us; being able to use the gym, (the men) get top treatment and it’s cool to get a bit of it as well.”