Doncaster RLFC: Brandan Wilkinson eager to make impression after injury nightmare

The former Bradford man is worried that a lack of games in 2019 may cost him a contract for next season.

Even though they knew that Wilkinson would miss the opening months of the 2019 campaign after he suffered a season-ending ACL knee injury at Workington, the Dons still offered him a contract for the current campaign.

But they had hoped that the promising youngster, who was determined to reward the club’s faith in him, would play more games than he has.

“I felt good when I started playing again apart from the fact that the knee felt a bit sore and there was a clicking noise,” recalled Wilkinson.

“Although I had a bit of pain on the inside of my knee it was when I was driving using the clutch which was the worse.

“In my third game back I played in the Challenge Cup game at Catalans and I played some good minutes.

“I was sent for an MRI scan and the surgeon said that I had a bit of a tear in my cartilage and that I should go in so that he could have a look at it.

“I was a bit gutted at the time having been out for so long. But from what I’ve been told it is not unusual for people who have had the same operation as me to suffer from other knee problems when they first start playing again.

“I’ve been working hard in training and I’m hoping to come into contention for the Keighley game on Sunday.

“We need to win our two remaining games to be sure of finishing fifth but we won’t be taking them lightly having lost there at the start of the season.”