Luckless ACT Brumbies winger Lausii Taliauli will unleash 10 months of frustration when he gets the chance to bury his injury demons in a comeback game on Sunday.
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Taliauli will play his first game since January 28 after being picked in the Canberra Vikings side to play against the Sydney Rays at Viking Park in the National Rugby Championship.
The speedster will make his return at the same venue which ruined his Super Rugby season when his knee buckled in a trial match at Viking Park earlier this year.
Taliauli had a knee reconstruction and his bad luck continued when an abscess on his wisdom tooth delayed his NRC season two weeks ago.
But Taliauli says he's ready to repay the Brumbies' faith after the club offered him a two-year contract extension despite not being able to play a game so far this year.
"It's been a long-time coming, I just can't wait to get out there on Sunday and rip in," Taliauli said.
"I've been out for a long time now and I've had enough of it to be honest. I think I might be a little bit rusty around the edges in the first game.
"But mentally I'm pretty well prepared to get out there and have a good game. It's been almost 10 months and I'm ready to go, I'm ready to rip in.
"The nerves haven't kicked in yet, but they will on game day coming back from a massive injury."
The top of the table Vikings will be keen to hold on to their lead with just two games left in the regular season.
Taliauli is a perfect late-season injection after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament while Brumbies captain Sam Carter is also in contention for a return after being rested.
Taliauli played just 30 minutes of a trial match against an Australian Barbarians side at Viking Park when he felt his knee pop.
He knew immediately his season was over and the 24-year-old was gutted when Brumbies teammate Ben Hyne suffered the same fate playing for the Vikings three weeks ago.
Taliauli said the toughest part of his recovery was a mental battle of not knowing when he would get the chance to play again.
But the Brumbies have proven success in knee reconstruction recovery, with Ben Serpell and Byron Field helping David Pocock, Matt Toomua and Stephen Moore back on to the field after major injuries.
Taliauli, one of the quickest players at the Brumbies, has put on four kilograms since his injury but says he's ready to prove he hasn't lost his speed.
"It takes a while to get your head wrapped around massive injuries. It took me about five weeks to get through some a tough period at the start," Taliauli said.
"I was busting to get out there and play but then I popped an abscess and had to delay it.
"I just want to get out there and enjoy the game again. I had to get my head around not playing Super Rugby this year and at around the 4-6 month mark, my knee felt 100 per cent.
"But they say that after the six-month mark, it goes backwards a bit and you start again.
"I feel like I'm starting to get some of my speed back. I just need to get my diet back on track, I've put on three or four kilograms over this period and I'm feeling a bit heavier than usual.
"But I'm pretty confident with how I'll go and I know the speed will come back when I start playing more and more."
NATIONAL RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIPS ROUND SEVEN
Sunday: Canberra Vikings v Sydney Rays at Viking Park, 2.30pm. Tickets available at the gate.
