Kurt Baptiste made his long awaited return from injury in the Raiders last NRL match against the Panthers.
Baptiste returned from a pre-season Achilles injury which kept him very frustratingly sidelined up until the game against the Panthers in round 14.
He spent his days watching the rest of the team train on the field whilst he recovered in the gym. When asked on the matter Kurt said, “It’s really frustrating sitting on the sideline watching the boys train”.
Baptiste wasn’t thrown in the deep end however as he spent a few weeks playing with the Mounties in the NSW Cup so that he could gain match fitness before returning with the Raiders.
Kurt was asked about his return and said, “Everything is feeling good now and I’m looking forward to the remainder of the season”.
Following the game against the Panthers, Baptiste felt as though his performance was a good step in the right direction but is hoping to raise the bar in the coming weeks.
He did however, feel quite rusty and highlighted that his defensive game needs some work.
Now that he’s back Baptiste is only looking forward and wants to take things week by week starting this Saturday against the Broncos.
When asked about personal goals for the remainder of the season the Raiders utility said, “To stay injury free would be nice but I’m trying to improve little areas of my game each week and it all starts at training.”
His teammates are certainly happy to have him back.
Josh Hodgson stated, “It’s good to see him back, he really brings a spark off the bench.”
Kurt will continue his season this week against the Broncos as he hopes to stay healthy and get back to playing his best football.
“Everything is feeling good now and I’m looking forward to the remainder of the season.”
