Sarginson desperate to be back playing
Dan Sarginson says he is desperate to be back on the pitch for Wigan after missing out on most of last season.
The 22 year-old signed for Wigan in 2014 from London Broncos, going on to make a Grand Final appearance and a trip Down Under with England in an impressive debut season.
However, 2015 was a season to forget for Sarginson personally as he suffered a hamstring injured during a win against Leeds in July, and underwent surgery that ruled him out for the rest of the year.
With the new season just around the corner, Sarginson admits that he simply can’t wait to get back on to the pitch with his Wigan teammates after a tough injury period.
“I feel good. I’ve trained in the last three sessions and it’s a bit of a lonely place when there’s just three of you doing the gym every day and away from the boys,” Sarginson told Love Rugby League.
“It’s been good to be back out there training and I felt pretty sharp. Maybe give it a couple more weeks and I should be ready to go.”
Although round one is Sarginson’s target for his return to the side, he admitted that the pre-season friendlies could have been a possibility, but does not want to rush back and suffer another reoccurence.
“I spoke to the physio and I would probably be ready for the friendlies but it isn’t worth the risk after six months out,” he said.
“The idea is to get me back for round one, but Gilly (Gildart) and Gells (Gelling) have been training outstanding anyway so it might be a few rounds before I get back into the team.”
It’s been a long journey back to full recovery for the ex-London star, especially with his teammates excelling on the pitch and making the Grand Final. It’s a journey Sarginson hopes he never has to go through again.
“I’ve had injuries before but it’s been in the less important matches. It’s obviously gutting to be out anyway, but this time around I missed the playoffs and the Grand Final,” he said.
“The Grand Final killed me having to watch it from the crowd and I just wanted to be out there. I was happy for the boys and wanted them to win but I was envious of them. But there was so much of me wanting to be out there, and knowing you can’t do anything from the stands is pretty gutting.”
It was not only the end of Wigan’s campaign that Sarginson had to sit out, the centre also had to watch his England teammates successfuly beat New Zealand in the Test Series too.
Sarginson says it felt like a state of deja vu for himself, and laid down a marker to put himself in the reckoning for the 2016 Four Nations.
“It was like watching three more Grand Final’s all over again, but I was happy for the boys, they have done themselves proud this year,” he said.
“Steve McNamara invited me along to all those games and said to stay in and around the boys, so hopefully I can get back into the squad, that’s my goal this year. With us doing so well against the Kiwi’s, if we can back it up people are really going to take us seriously as an international threat.”
2016 brings new life into Dan Sarginson, and hopefully new life into his club, as he believes the balance they have in the camp this season will make Wigan one of the challengers for the title.
“There is obviously a bit of luck involved, but this year we’ve got the most leadership in the squad that we’ve had for years,” he said.
“All the leaders are born and bred Wiganers, they’re really passionate. All the young blokes coming through have been training really well too and there is a real good feel about it this year.”