Sydney Roosters star fullback James Tedesco has revealed it's not just his brother's wedding which will cause him to miss the upcoming Ashes series against England.
The fullback, who won the 2025 Dally M Medal on Wednesday evening, has now revealed he is booked in for off-season stem cell surgery on his knee.
“At the start of the year I didn't have Kangaroos on my radar,” he told SEN 1170 Radio Breakfast.
“I didn't get picked last year; I didn't play Origin. I hadn't heard anything in the last few weeks, so I had to ring Peter.
“There's my brother's wedding but I'm also having stem cells put in my knee next week which is an eight week rehab.
“Those two things mean it wasn't the right situation.
“It's hard, I want to be back playing for my country. I've captained Australia an there is no prouder moment. I said to Peter hopefully if I have a big year next year I'll be considered for the World Cup.”
Tedesco has had the operation previously, with the fullback attempting to keep his knees in working order as he approaches the back-end of his career.
Stem cell surgery, per the NRL Physio is used to slow down cartilage degeneration and decrease inflamation.
The last time he had the operation was in 2022, with Tedesco then getting back to his best throughout 2024 and 2025, where he finished second in the Dally M race last year and won it this year.
The fullback recently told 9 News that he wants to play on for another two or three years, and with no signs of slowing down, the operation could well keep him on track to see that out.
He is currently contracted until the end of 2026 on a figure believed to be north of $1 million.
