A host of players spent 2025 on the sidelines, but have returned in fine form this year.
Injuries are part of rugby league, that much is for certain, and the way players come back from those injuries can be career defining.
Two of the group even played Origin this year in a true mark of their efforts recovering.
The group have made 2026 the year of the comeback, and Zero Tackle runs the rule over the best of the lot today.
Heilum Luki and Tom Chester
There might be no better comeback story this season than North Queensland Cowboys duo Heilum Luki and Tom Chester, who both suffered season-ending ACL injuries during pre-season training in December of 2024, seeing them sidelined for the entire 2025 campaign.
Throughout their rehab they were able to create a bond that has translated into the Cowboys securing a position in the top-eight.
After a 527-day-break between NRL appearances for Luki, he has not missed a single game this season where so far he has scored 11 tries with an average 105-running-metres per game.
These efforts saw him rewarded with an Origin selection for Queensland as 20th man by Billy Slater.
Coach Todd Payten described Luki as a "really admired person within the group through his work ethic" and spoke further on how much they missed him in 2025 when speaking to Cowboys media.
Following the second major ACL injury of his career, Tom Chester missed 609 days of NRL action before the Cowboys centre kitted up in Las Vegas. Playing all but one game due to suspension in Round 4, Chester has combined for 11 tries and two try-assists.
After missing a combined 1136 days between appearances, both stars are now fit and firing as they set their eyes on making a deep finals run.
