The Dolphins have delivered an update on three injured players heading into their first trial games as a club before the 2023 season kick-off.
The Dolphins' head of performance Jeremy Hickmans has provided an injury update on new recruits Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, Ray Stone and Brenko Lee.
Speaking on the Dolphins website, Hickmans states the three were injured pre-Christmas but are all showing good healthy signs, returning to ball skills and training.
After suffering an ankle injury during the Rugby League World Cup at the end of last year, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow has returned to full training.
Injuring his left ankle, he underwent surgery this off-season. A recurring injury, Tabuai-Fidow will be hoping he doesn't re-injure it throughout the season.
"Hamiso came back after Christmas, back into everything after Christmas. Pre-Christmas he started a lot of it, coming back from his ankle surgery," Hickmans said.
"He's a really good athlete at the moment, so he's back into everything and doing really well."
Ray Stone missed the majority of the 2022 season, rupturing his ACL in Round 4 against the Melbourne Storm where he scored the match-winning try. Back with vengeance, Stone has returned to training, as he looks to be ready for Round 1.
"We have a bit of time to be cautious with Ray, he's coming back into everything as well. It's really nice to have him back in because he brings a lot of intensity to it and he's progressing really well," Hickmans said.
"You've got to be very cautious with those ACLs and give them the time they need but again no real issues, no real problems at the moment."
Out of the three, Brenko Lee is most likely to be absent in Round 1. Injuring his calf during pre-season at the end of 2022, he was expected to miss 4-6 weeks.
However, Lee is expected to return before his original injury time frame. He has returned to skills training but is yet to make a recovery and return to full contact training with the Dolphins.
"Brenko came back after Christmas, back into some skills again but we're really taking our time with him," Hickmans added.
"He has had a previous history with calf injuries, so it's really important to take our time and get him right leading into the first trial."
The Dolphins will open their inaugural season against the Sydney Roosters at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday, March 5.
