Burleigh pivot Dallas Wells ruled out for season; Toby McIntosh to focus on Matt Dunn Racing

Dallas Wells has vowed to stay heavily involved with Burleigh after being dealt his latest dose of bad luck.

DALLAS Wells has vowed to stay heavily involved with Burleigh after being dealt his latest dose of bad luck.

Wells will miss the entire Intrust Super Cup season due to a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament that he discovered only after a physio visit to look into why his knee was not feeling 100 per cent.

The five-eighth has had a horror run of knee injuries, including being sidelined for much of 2016 courtesy of another ACL injury while at Cronulla feeder club Newtown.

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Wells played 15 games last year before his season was cut short, as a pectoral tear followed soon after knocking his knee in a nasty goalpost collision.

Wells collides with a goalpost during Burleigh’s Round 16 win over Tweed Heads at Pizzey Park. Picture: SMP Images

That pectoral injury then took a turn for the worse, with an infection preventing him from holidaying overseas in the off-season.

“I was just pretty much getting out of the sling and then I got told it was infected because it just opened up and I pretty much went straight back into surgery,” Wells said.

“Two weeks later it opened up again.”

The 24-year-old, who was on a Titans development contract last year, was philosophical about the situation and is already eyeing a return to the field in 2020.

Dallas Wells at Titans training last year. Picture: Gold Coast Titans

“It’s not the news I wanted to hear to start 2019 but I guess that’s footy and life. I’ve got to take it on the chin,” he said.

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“I’m definitely going to play in 2020, hopefully still at Burleigh, that would be the major goal. I’ll just try to get into rehab for the rest of this year and do what I can do for the Burleigh boys while I am off the paddock.

“I’ll be with the Burleigh boys pretty much every training session.”

Bears coach Jimmy Lenihan said it was “very disappointing” news.

Wells makes a tackle against the Mackay Cutters. Picture: SMP Images

The side still have a frontline halves pairing of Jamal Fogarty and Dylan Phythian – but beyond that their options are relatively inexperienced youngsters Josh Rogers, Matt Egan, Conner Toia and Taine Tuaupiki.

Burleigh have also lost rising back Toby McIntosh, who has opted to focus on his career with Matt Dunn Racing.

McIntosh is thought likely to re-join the Murwillumbah Mustangs, with whom he won the 2016 Northern Rivers Regional Rugby League player of the year.