Talk about frustrating. Luke Bateman was only meant to miss four to six weeks, but 10 months later and his knee still isn't right.
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Luckily he's had the perfect tonic to ensure he hasn't gotten down in the dumps.
The extra community work that comes with being part of the Canberra Raiders' rehabilitation group has kept his injury in perspective.
Bateman's off-contract, but probably won't be fit to play until about round 6-8.
He had surgery on a meniscus tear in April last year, having played the first six rounds for the Mounties in the NSW Cup.
Having had similar surgery the year before, Bateman thought he knew what to expect.
But he developed bone bruising and only got back on the park in time to play five more games for Mounties.
After a break, the 25-year-old was expecting to hit the pre-season running, but his knee didn't feel right.
Scans revealed a subchondral fracture in November and Bateman was back to the drawing board.
He had another scan on Thursday and started running again at 50 per cent of his body weight on an AlterG anti-gravity treadmill on Monday.
"I originally tore my meniscus and I tore it the year before on the other side, and I think I was back playing in three or four weeks," Bateman said.
"I wasn't too worried about it at the time because I thought, 'I did this last year and it was pretty simple'.
"And it's ended up turning an anthill into a mountain."
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Making the injury even more frustrating is the fact Bateman's contract runs out at the end of the 2020 season.
Up to a third of the upcoming season will have passed by the time he gets back on the field.
"When you're not playing it's hard to go into the negotiation room on the front foot," Bateman said.
"The Raiders have always shown great loyalty and support for me so I obviously want to return that favour.
"The plan is to get back around that round eight and play some good footy and get another one for the year after."
Plus Bateman was desperate to be part of the Raiders' rise last season.
He was still struggling to get back to full fitness as the Green Machine charged towards the NRL grand final.
"I'm good mates with every one of the boys so you love seeing the success and you're just so stoked for everyone in the team," Bateman said.
"But it is frustrating and you think to yourself, 'If I was fit could I be there?'"
But there's been a silver lining to his time on the sideline.
It's meant he's been involved with plenty of community work to help keep his spirits up.
Bateman was part of the NRL's road to regions tour last week, where he headed out to the Riverina, and has been on plenty of school visits.
He also visited Canberra Hospital with his Raiders "brother" John Bateman to hand out showbags to sick kids who can't attend the Royal Canberra Show.
It was during that visit that Bateman had a very real reality check.
"It's actually good for your head when you're in rehab because you can get a bit caught up in your own little world thinking my knee injury's the worst thing to ever happen to me," he said.
"Then you go into the hospital and you see little kids really struggling and it's a stark reminder just how insignificant your injury is."
NSW CUP TRIAL
Saturday: Mounties v Panthers at St Mary's Stadium, 3pm.
Mounties squad: Kamren Cryer, Matt Frawley, Emre Guler, Siliva Havili, Dunamis Lui, Dean Matterson, Darby Medlyn, Kieran Moss, Jack Murchie, Kai O'Donnell, Paea Pua, Reuben Rennie, Vincent Rennie, Tom Robertson, Tony Satini, Daine Spencer, Harley Smith-Shields, Tom Starling, Matt Timoko, Semi Valemei, Hudson Young.