Last updated at 12:42, Friday, 13 November 2009

Playmaker Carl Rudd is raring to launch Whitehaven’s pre-season campaign after finally declaring his injury nightmare over.

Carl Rudd

The stand-off has been plagued by knee trouble since suffering an injury in the Challenge Cup defeat at Wigan in May 2008, undergoing a series of operations and missing last year’s pre-season programme. But he is confident his woes are finally behind him.

“This will be my first pre-season for two or three years and it will make a massive difference,” said Rudd, who is now over a week in to coach Ged Stokes’ three-week training plan before the squad meet up for the first time.

“I would normally do a lot of training on my own, but with the injury it was taking me a lot longer to recover and I wasn’t able to do anything extra.

“But I’m 100 per cent fit now. I’ll be able to train every day and not worry about icing the knee every day.

“It will also make a massive difference in my mind, at the back end of games when you want to pull something out. I’ll feel I can do it if I’ve flogged myself in training.

“I’ve been up to Wath Brow a couple of times to train. You have a couple of weeks off and then start to miss it.”

Rudd was put through his post-injury paces by Ian Chambers of Powerhouse Gym.

“He’s also had knee trouble in the past and has the experience of how to get back,” Rudd said. “I’d like to thank him for that. He’s been a great help.”

Chambers took Rudd through the exercises he had to perform to regain strength in the knee, and offered nutritional advice.

First published at 11:36, Friday, 13 November 2009
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk