Maitland junior Robbie Rochow said he was looking forward to being at full fitness rather than setting a return date after undergoing lower back surgery on Monday.
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The Newcastle Knights second-rower had recently arrived home at Cooks Hill from hospital when he spoke to the Mercury yesterday afternoon.
The 24-year-old said he was already feeling relief from a bulging disc, which had put him out of action for the past four NRL matches.
“I can definitely feel the relief,” Rochow said.
“Obviously there is still a bit of pain around where the nerve has been moved but having the bulging disc removed has already made a difference.”
Rochow, who had played 62 straight games after making his NRL debut in July 2012,
hasn’t taken the field since suffering back spasms in the warm up before Newcastle’s game against Penrith at Hunter Stadium on March 28.
The East Maitland junior may now be on the sidelines for a further two months but Rochow said he was more excited about the prospect of playing without pain again rather than being concerned about missing matches.
“It’s hard to say how long I will be out for,” Rochow said.
“We will know a bit more in about four weeks’ time but at the moment it looks like it will be a minimum of eight weeks.
“But I’m not worries about how many games I’m going to miss or setting a date in July or targeting a particular round.
“I just want to come back playing 100 per cent again and I haven’t felt like that in a while.”
Rochow had the surgery in Newcastle Private Hospital and was operated on by Dr Robert Kuru.
Rochow had contemplated resting instead of having surgery but after consulting with Kuru in Sydney last week opted to go under the knife.