The Dolphins are gearing up to welcome back one of their brightest stars in 2026, with a return timeline now mapped out for star winger Jack Bostock.
Bostock is officially on the comeback trail, determined to rewrite the ending of his 2025 season after a devastating knee injury cut his campaign short.The 22-year-old's breakout year came to a sudden halt in Round 16 when he suffered a brutal ACL, MCL, and meniscus injury in Perth.
Six months on, Bostock says his recovery is finally building momentum as he eyes a return to the NRL in 2026.
After waiting six weeks for surgery and pushing through what he described as a “slow and painful” early rehabilitation period, Bostock is now back around the squad, training again and, most importantly, running again.“It feels good to get out there again,” he said in a club statement.
“Now it's just about ticking off all the boxes each week.”While he remains in the early stages of the running phase, Bostock is hopeful of returning between Rounds 8 and 10, trusting the Dolphins' rehab staff to guide the process.“If that's what our rehab guys think, then I'm confident to back them,” he said.Before the injury, Bostock was in red-hot form, scoring nine tries, including four in Round 15, as the Dolphins surged into sixth place and pushed toward a maiden finals berth. Watching the team slip out of the top eight from the sidelines was tough.“It was pretty sad to watch the boys miss out,” he said.
"We were looking in good nick to make the finals, but the competition was really strong."
"The boys still finished the year well, and a lot of players got to tick off individual goals."But the focus has now shifted to what's ahead.“Our goal now is to push for that finals berth in 2026.”With a stacked backline and intense competition for spots heading into the new season, Bostock believes the fight for positions will only make the squad stronger.“Competition's always good, someone's going to miss out, but that's the game... It pushes everyone to train better and play better, and it helps all of us in the long run,” he said.Dolphins faithful saw glimpses of Bostock's best footy before the injury, and he is determined to bring that form straight back once he's cleared.“I hope so,” he said with a smile.
“I'm in a privileged position where coming in every day to rehab is my job. I just want to get the knee right, get back into the NRL and play my best footy again.”For now, the promising winger is focused on steady progress through the early stages of pre-season, ticking off rehab accomplishments and putting himself in the best position to make a red-hot return to this Dolphins outfit.
