Nathan Watts is on the comeback trail from injury and it’s a path the Redcliffe Dolphins forward has walked before with great success.
Watts said although he has missed the first few rounds of the Hostplus Cup competition, he was on track to return to the field soon and could not wait to play with the Dolphins again.
“I am looking forward to season 2022, for sure,” Watts said at the club’s media day.
“I am getting fit. I am coming back from injury, I tore my bicep last year, so I was coming back from that for the most part of pre-season and it’s only been in the last month or so that I am getting back into the full training.
“It’s feeling good, it’s feeling alright.
“I am definitely keen to get back into it, I am just going to keep training and see how I go.”
Watts notably returned from injury in time to play the grand final in 2018 after breaking his jaw six weeks prior to the finals series.
An electrician off the field, who lists walking his dog as one of his hobbies, Watts said there had been a few changes take place under new coach Scott Murray (who has stepped up from the Hastings Deering Colts), but as he had been part of the club for a while, was a familiar presence for the team.
“Scott is good, we had him as assistant coach when we won it in 2018 – he’s good, he’s pretty relaxed and pretty technical,” Watts said.
“He’s been around everyone for a while, so not much different for me, (even though) I didn’t have him in Colts.
“He has been bringing up a few more 20s players than previous years to join our Cup training, so we have been getting around speaking with them a lot more and they are always around the sheds.
“We haven’t really trained against the team themselves, but they are always filtering around so we get to know them.”
A Dolphin through-and-through, Watts has been excited to see the developments happening at the club in recent months and to see what the future would hold on the peninsula.
“I have been here (at the Dolphins) since I was six... for a couple of years for under 20s I went away (to the Gold Coast Titans), but I came back to play Cup in 2017 and have been here since. This is home,” Watts said.
“It’s great (being here), I reckon it’s great they are getting an NRL gig, they have wanted it for a while.
“We have always had strong support from the community and it’s always good playing at home (at Moreton Daily Stadium).
“I’ve been able to play here all the way through... I played some under 18s, under 20s here and all the way through it’s always been good.
“It’s good, I like the stadium, for sure, especially Saturday night games, we have had a few of those, I like it.”
The Dolphins will take on Burleigh Bears in Round 3.
Match: Bears v Dolphins
Round 3 -
home Team
Bears
2nd Position
away Team
Dolphins
12th Position
Venue: Pizzey Park, Gold Coast
All statewide competitions games can be watched at QPlus.tv.
