Brisbane Broncos staying patient with injury cursed youngster Jordan Kahu

BRISBANE coach Anthony Griffin has assured Jordan Kahu he has the backing of Broncos bosses as he tries to beat his injury curse.

Kahu

BRISBANE coach Anthony Griffin has assured Jordan Kahu he has the backing of Broncos bosses as he tries to beat the injury curse that has derailed his career at Red Hill.

The sight of Kahu stretching out in pre-season has been a defining image for many at the club, including Kiwi Test forward Alex Glenn, who dedicated his 2012 campaign to his luckless young colleague.

When the Broncos open their season with a trial against the Cowboys in Mt Isa on Saturday week, it will be exactly 12 months since Kahu's knee collapsed during an attempted comeback.

He had his second reconstruction in consecutive seasons, a scenario that could have easily ended the career of a rookie still waiting for an NRL breakthrough.

Kahu, who turns 22 on Monday, refuses to give in.

Back running with the NRL squad, Kahu must confront his demons, but Griffin says there is no pressure on the highly-rated youngster to prove his worth after two traumatic seasons.

"I'll wait and see how he goes,'' Griffin said. "I haven't got any expectations of Jordan, I just want him to stay injury-free.

"I hope Jordan gets through the trials and gets a chance to play some footy this year, wherever that is.

"He hasn't played any senior footy at all due to injury but as a junior he showed his talent. We're keeping our fingers crossed he stays fit and it's important that we stay patient with Jordan because he has been out of footy for so long.''

Kahu has trained in virtual isolation for two years.

While his teammates bonded on the training paddock and in NRL games, the 183cm fullback, centre or five-eighth did the hard yards alone, rowing, cycling and throwing heavy ropes around without complaint.

Such mental fortitude is why Kahu is a popular figure at Red Hill, and why Griffin believes he can triumph by cracking the top grade.

"He has showed a lot of character to get to this point where he is part of our NRL squad,'' Griffin said.

"He's not the first bloke to go through a reconstruction in his early years.

"Gerard Beale went through it and came back strongly.''

Broncos five-eighth Corey Norman, one of Kahu's good mates, believes the well-built utility needs only an injury-free run to prove he can succeed in the NRL.

"Jordy is training really well,'' Norman said. "He's training through the roof at the moment so it would be good if he got a chance this year.

"I went to school with Jordy so he's a good mate of mine. I don't know how he's done it. I was in rehab for two weeks and I was over it, so for him to do it for two years, he's done very well to get out of that.

"He's moving well again so hopefully he can play some good footy for us this year.''