For some players carrying injuries or suspensions into 2022, the start to the new season will come slightly later.
Here's a wrap of all the players at each club either expected to miss the start of the season or who are nursing niggling injuries during the pre-season.
BRISBANE BRONCOS
| PLAYER | ISSUE | RETURN |
|---|---|---|
| Brendan Piakura | Suspension | Round 2 |
| Thomas Flegler | Suspension | Round 4 |
| Xavier Willison | Knee | Mid-season |
Pre-season: Kurt Capewell (finger, pre-season), Tyson Gamble (hand, pre-season), Jake Turpin (jaw, pre-season), Kotoni Staggs (knee, pre-season), Keenan Palasia (shoulder, pre-season), Patrick Carrigan (knee, trials), Payne Haas (ankle, trials)
BRONCOS INJURY NEWS
Kotoni Staggs has confirmed he will line up for the Broncos' round one clash against South Sydney as he returns to full health after the ACL injury last year.
“The body is feeling good. There’s times where coaches and staff will pull me out of some drills just to give my legs a bit of a break but I’m basically in everything now, back to full training and back on the edge. I love being back to where I was,” Staggs told the media.
“I did a lot of work to get back onto the field (after the ACL injury). It wasn’t a short period of time, it took nine months until I got back on.
“The staff here are great and they are making sure that I am doing everything that I need to make sure that I’m 100 per cent when I run out for that first game of the season.”
CANBERRA RAIDERS
| PLAYER | ISSUE | RETURN |
|---|---|---|
| Jarrod Croker | Knee | Round 1 |
| Corey Horsburgh | Shoulder | Round 1 |
| Harley Smith-Shields | Knee | 2023 |
RAIDERS INJURY NEWS
Young gun Harley Smith-Shields will miss the entire season, after he suffered an ACL injury at training.
Jarrod Croker (knee) and Corey Horsburgh (shoulder) are both expected to be fit to play for the start of the season.
Pre-season: Elliott Whitehead (elbow, pre-season) Bailey Simonsson (groin, pre-season) Tom Starling (jaw, pre-season) Xavier Savage (shoulder, trials)
CANTERBURY BULLDOGS
| PLAYER | ISSUE | RETURN |
|---|---|---|
| Raymond Faitala-Mariner | Foot | Round 1 |
| Matt Doorey | Knee | Mid-season |
Pre-season: John Asiata (neck, pre-season) Nick Cotric (shoulder/toe, pre-season) Aaron Schoupp (shoulder, trials) Max King (Achilles, trials)
CRONULLA SHARKS
| PLAYER | ISSUE | RETURN |
|---|---|---|
| Andrew Fifita | Larynx/Throat | TBC |
Pre-season: Ronaldo Mulitalo (jaw, pre-season), Cameron McInnes (knee, pre-season), Franklin Pele (foot, pre-season), Jackson Ferris (foot, pre-season), Wade Graham (concussion, pre-season)
GOLD COAST TITANS
| PLAYER | ISSUE | RETURN |
|---|---|---|
| Jarrod Croker | Knee | Round 1 |
Pre-season: AJ Brimson (jaw, pre-season), Kevin Proctor (shoulder, pre-season), Tino Fa'asuamaleaui (knee, pre-season), Jaiman Joliffe (hamstring, pre-season), Aaron Booth (meniscus, pre-season), Jojo Fifita (shoulder, pre-season), Paul Turner (calf, pre-season)
TITANS INJURY NEWS
Tino Fa'asuamaleaui has suffered an MCL sprain in his knee in a collision at training, which the Titans expect the star forward to make a full recovery from in time for trials.
"Tino has unfortunately picked up a high grade 1 MCL injury in an accidental collision this week and will spend the next fortnight in a brace," Gold Coast's high-performance manager Klint Hoare said.
"He'll be performing modified off feet conditioning training prior to Christmas with an expected return to full training in the second week of January."
MANLY SEA EAGLES
| PLAYER | ISSUE | RETURN |
|---|---|---|
| Manase Fainu | Stood down | TBC |
Pre-season: Andrew Davey (knee, pre-season), Morgan Boyle (shoulder, trials)
MELBOURNE STORM
| PLAYER | ISSUE | RETURN |
|---|---|---|
| Cameron Munster | Suspension | Round 2 |
| Brandon Smith | Suspension | Round 2 |
| Chris Lewis | Suspension | Round 2 |
Pre-season: Ryan Papenhuyzen (ankle, pre-season)
STORM INJURY NEWS
Melbourne Storm have cleared fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen of serious injury after footage of him wearing a moon boot on his right foot surfaced online. Storm officials say Papenhuyzen rolled his ankle at training and will be fit to take the field in round 1.
NEWCASTLE KNIGHTS
| PLAYER | ISSUE | RETURN |
|---|---|---|
| Jack Johns | Shoulder | Round 1 |
| Sauaso Sue | Suspension | Round 3 |
| Jayden Brailey | Achilles | Indefinite |
Pre-season: Dane Gagai (knee, pre-season), Chris Randall (thumb, pre-season), Lachlan Fitzgibbon (shoulder, pre-season), Mitchell Barnett (groin, pre-season)
KNIGHTS INJURY NEWS
Jayden Brailey has suffered a cruel setback after an injury-disrupted season in 2021, the Knights captain rupturing his achilles in pre-season training.
"Scans have confirmed nib Newcastle Knights Captain, Jayden Brailey, has suffered a ruptured achilles tendon in his left leg, during a non-contact team training session last Saturday," a club statement said.
"Brailey will undergo surgery later this week to repair the injury and determine his rehabilitation timeline, with hopes of a return to play in the second half of the 2022 season."
Brailey's return date is unclear at this stage, although, according to NRL Physio, an achilles injury can take as long as eight months to heal, meaning he could be missing until finals.
NEW ZEALAND WARRIORS
| PLAYER | ISSUE | RETURN |
|---|---|---|
| Reece Walsh | Suspension | Round 2 |
| Matt Lodge | Suspension | Round 2 |
| Tohu Harris | Knee | Mid-season |
Pre-season: Shaun Johnson (hamstring, pre-season), Bunty Afoa (hamstring, pre-season), Ben Murdoch-Masila (foot, trials)
NORTH QUEENSLAND COWBOYS
Pre-season: Chad Townsend (shoulder, pre-season), Reuben Cotter (shoulder, pre-season), Ben Hampton (groin, pre-season), Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow (hamstring, pre-season), Kane Bradley (hand, pre-season)
PARRAMATTA EELS
| PLAYER | ISSUE | RETURN |
|---|---|---|
| Reed Mahoney | Shoulder | Round 1 |
| Nathan Brown | Ankle | Round 1 |
| Marata Niukore | Suspension | Round 2 |
| Maika Sivo | Knee | Mid-season |
Pre-season: Nathaniel Roache (knee, trials)
PENRITH PANTHERS
| PLAYER | ISSUE | RETURN |
|---|---|---|
| Nathan Cleary | Shoulder | Round 1 |
Pre-season: Dylan Edwards (foot, pre-season) James Fisher-Harris (knee, pre-season) Mitch Kenny (ankle, pre-season), Kurt Falls (knee, pre-season)
SOUTH SYDNEY RABBITOHS
| PLAYER | ISSUE | RETURN |
|---|---|---|
| Cameron Murray | Shoulder | Round 1 |
| Latrell Mitchell | Suspension | Round 3 |
Pre-season: Josh Mansour (knee, pre-season)
RABBITOHS INJURY NEWS
Cameron Murray (shoulder) is reportedly racing the clock to be fit for the start of the season after undergoing surgery in the off-season.
ST. GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS
| PLAYER | ISSUE | RETURN |
|---|---|---|
| Josh McGuire | Suspension | Round 6 |
| Billy Burns | Foot | Round 1 |
Pre-season: Ben Hunt (broken arm, pre-season), Zac Lomax (thumb fracture, pre-season), Cody Ramsey (face, pre-season), Andrew McCullough (ankle, trials)
SYDNEY ROOSTERS
| PLAYER | ISSUE | RETURN |
|---|---|---|
| Sam Verrills | Suspension | Round 2 |
Pre-season: Siosiua Tauekiaho (calf, pre-season), Joseph Manu (cheekbone, pre-season), Joseph Suaalii (foot, pre-season), Billy Smith (foot, trials), Luke Keary (knee, trials), Lindsay Collins (knee, trials)
WESTS TIGERS
| PLAYER | ISSUE | RETURN |
|---|---|---|
| Adam Doueihi | Knee | Round 10 |
| Tommy Talau | Knee | Mid-season |
| Asu Kepaoa | Knee | Mid-season |
Pre-season: Daine Laurie (ankle, pre-season), Luke Garner (ankle, pre-season), James Tamou (foot, pre-season), Alex Seyfarth (knee, pre-season)
TIGERS INJURY NEWS
Michael Maguire says Adam Doueihi is tracking well in his recovery from knee surgery, with Tigers medical staff anticipating a round 10 return for the injured five-eighth.
"You've got to be careful with guys that have had two (reconstructions). You've got to be patient," Maguire told SEN.
"He's well ahead of schedule but we're not going to push that either.
"I'd say it'd be around round 10 at the moment but with the high performance (staff) we've got, they're pretty clever, so we'll see how it goes."