When would Api return?’ Penrith medicos set tough benchmark for injured Luai
August 26, 2023 — 4.50pm
Penrith medical staff admit star No.6 Jarome Luai will need to channel former Panther Api Koroisau and play through excruciating pain if he is to make a miraculous return from a dislocated shoulder this season.
Luai began his around-the-clock recovery on Saturday
after dislocating his shoulder against Parramatta on Thursday night.
Panthers medical staff will try to slash the normal six-week recovery to just four weeks to get Luai ready for a hoped for preliminary final as the club chases a third straight title.
The Panthers concede it will come down to how much pain Luai is prepared to play through before undergoing an inevitable surgery during the off-season.
Koroisau, who won two premierships with the Panthers before joining Wests Tigers this year, was known for his ability to return from injuries in record time, and a player who “rewrote injury time frames from a sports medicine perspective”.
“If you were meant to be out four weeks with an injury, Api would be back in two,” Panthers chief physio Pete Green said.
“We compare every player when it comes to toughness and being able to play with injuries to Api Koroisau.
“I remember Api did the ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow. He was meant to be out between four and six weeks, but he only missed the one game.
“If there’s any injury, we’re like, ‘When did Api come back?’
“‘Romy’ is also right up there with toughness. That confidence you see out on the field, he’s just as confident when it comes to his rehab and getting back.
“If we tell him he’ll be out for four weeks, he’ll tell us, ‘Nah, I want to be back in two weeks’.
“We’ll be pushing for the prelim final.
“We know it’s a huge gamble. If he did this injury in the first half of the year, he’d be out six weeks. But given what is at stake, we’re trying to squeeze six weeks into three or four weeks.
“We’ll push him hard, but he’s going to be sore, and he will be in a lot of pain. The pain will be the one thing that could stop him.”
Regular physiotherapy will help stop Luai’s shoulder from going stiff, while he has also started red light therapy to assist with the healing process.
One thing that helped Luai was the fact the club doctor was able to pop the shoulder back into its socket within a minute, and on the first attempt.
Luai was
in good spirits on Friday and told this masthead: “I’m all good, man. That’s part of footy. I feel like I’ve had a pretty good run so far. Fingers crossed. I’m pretty optimistic about injuries.
“I feel good. It’s not too sore. People are asking me how I slept and if I got any sleep at all. I think I got eight hours, so I think that’s a good sign.”
The Panthers host North Queensland next weekend and are expecting to welcome back Dylan Edwards and Sunia Turuva.
Jarome Luai will need to channel former Panther Api Koroisau if he is any chance to make a miraculous finals return after dislocating his shoulder on Thursday.
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