Adam Elliott’s astonishing return from injury for the Rabbitohs will continue on Friday when he tries to end the NRL finals’ hopes of the club that cut him loose during the COVID pandemic.
Elliott parted ways with Canterbury at the end of 2021 after a well-documented incident in a Gold Coast restaurant with Millie Boyle, the NRLW star who would later become his wife.
The forward still had two years to run on his deal worth $1m.
“I lost a ‘mill’, but gained a ‘Millie’,” a smiling Elliott said at South Sydney training on Tuesday.
“There’s no animosity towards the Dogs at all. But I do think about it sometimes. My journey has been my journey.
“There are things I would have liked to have done differently, but I’m here now, standing on my two feet, and I couldn’t be happier with my life, my wife and my family.”
The fact Elliott is standing at all is remarkable considering he suffered a sickening ankle injury in round 12, and was told he would not return until October, when his one-year deal with the Bunnies was due to expire.
The 31-year-old’s left ankle ballooned and was black and blue as a result of a ruptured deltoid and avulsion fracture of his tibia.
Dr David Carmody and Souths’ Dr Andrew McDonald told Elliott his season was over.
But Elliott had missed the second half of last season with a biceps injury, and refused to accept he was facing another lengthy stint out of the game.
He spent countless hours in a hyperbaric chamber, embraced red light therapy, and overhauled his diet, including eliminating fatty food and seed oils.
“I was meant to be in a boot for four weeks, and basically learning how to walk again – but I was out there running on the field after three weeks,” Elliott said.
“I went against a lot of the advice at the start, and butted heads with people who only had my best interests at heart. I understood it and appreciated that. But I needed to take a risk to get back and play.
“It didn’t feel too bad when I was running, and a couple of weeks after that I was back running in boots out on the field.
“[Coach] Wayne [Bennett] kept laughing at me because I kept telling him, ‘I’ll be back soon’.
“I had a job to do. This is my 12th year in the NRL. I didn’t want to let anyone down. I suffered a biceps injury last year, two weeks after my father passed away. It was a tough time. I didn’t want footy taken away from me again, and I couldn’t let it be the case here.
“If you’re passionate about something and believe in it enough, and believe in yourself, you can make it happen.”
Bennett has seen some remarkable comebacks during his coaching career, including Souths’ skipper Cameron Murray’s push to return from an achilles injury to make a final-round cameo last year, and was amazed by the work Elliott had put in to defy the odds.
“They told me he wouldn’t play again this year, but he got out there and did things nobody thought he could do – it’s been quite remarkable,” Bennett said.
“He wanted to play football again and not let his teammates down.”
The Elliotts last year welcomed daughter Gigi. Millie said: “He was told he’d be out for the season, to not get his hopes up because it was such a significant injury, but he didn’t want to accept that, and he never had it in his mind he was not coming back. He’s lucky to have me, but I’m so lucky to have him.”
Elliott will start in the back row on Friday night, directly opposite Jacob Preston, who was not at Belmore before Elliott exited.
Campbell Graham returns from a calf injury on the right wing. Victory will all but seal a finals’ berth for the Bunnies, and leave the Dogs four points adrift of the top eight.