A “much-better” Chanel Harris-Tavita says he is now on the mend after a successful surgery following his brave effort in seeing out a full NRL game with a ruptured testicle two weeks ago.
Harris-Tavita spoke to media for the first time since the injury two weeks ago, after teammate Josh Curran’s knee collided with his groin during the Warriors’ 70-10 loss to the Storm.
Despite the injury, Harris-Tavita played the full 80 minutes, telling reporters on Wednesday it wasn’t until the second half that he realised something was wrong.
“Most guys have been hit in the privates before and we know what that feels like,” Harris-Tavita said.
“Usually when you get hit, it lasts for about two minutes and then the pain starts to go away but that pain after the whack stayed for the whole game.
“I sort of knew something was wrong after halftime when I could feel it – something was wrong down there.
At the time, the Warriors were only down 16-10 coming out of the break so the competitive 23-year-old was determined to stay in the match.
“I’m lucky I had teammates around me talking to me because I couldn’t really talk but I just wanted to push through,” he said.
“Unfortunately, that happened but I’ve had surgery now and I can move on.
“I’ve had a couple of runs with the rehab group now and I’m getting more confident as the days go on now.”
He added he’d be using a cricket-style box to protect himself at training this week as part of his return from the injury.
“I’m sure a nickname will come from that.”
Harris-Tavita is expected to remain on the sidelines for at least another week, giving him time to weigh up his options for his playing future.
The playmaker’s contract with the Kiwi NRL club runs out at the end of this season although coach Nathan Brown has said he hopes to keep Harris-Tavita at the club.
Harris-Tavita on the other hand was coy about his future on Wednesday.
“I know I sound like a broken record but I’m still working to see what’s best for me next year,” he said.
“My agent comes over this Friday so I’ll be talking to him then and so hopefully we’ll be coming to a decision soon.”
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