LEEDS RHINOS starlet Morgan Gannon has not played a game since February last year.
The forward has played 50 games for Leeds since his debut in 2021 as a 17-year-old, but missed the entirety of the 2024 Super League season after suffering a number of concussions in a short period of time.
Now back on the training and in full contact, Gannon is relishing his time with new head coach Brad Arthur.
Arthur himself only joined the Headingley outfit towards the back end of last season, before signing a one-year deal for 2025.
And for Gannon, the ex-Parramatta Eels boss has been great to work under so far.
“He’s been good, he’s been really honest and he keeps you up to date with how he is thinking,” Gannon told League Express.
“He will definitely tell you if you are doing things wrong, but he will also tell you when you’ve done things right.
“There are no guessing games or anything like that. He’s put some really black and white systems in place so people can be held accountable to standards.
“The pre-season itself has been really tough. Everyone has been tested at some point in pre-season but you want pre-season to be tough because it makes the season more enjoyable when you’re winning.
“Everyone has bought into that and everyone has been putting the hard work in. It’s been tough and challenging.
“It’s the toughest pre-season I have ever done. We have ran a lot more and done a lot of tough wrestling sessions.”
For Gannon, it’s been a long time coming returning to action following a year out.
“It was through medical advice that we decided to take a year out. I went to see two neurosurgeons who advised me that I needed an extended period of time out to prevent any further concussions in the short-term to benefit my long-term health,” Gannon told League Express.
“It wasn’t a decision taken lightly. We saw all the advisors and professionals so it was a combination of me, the medical team as well as the coaching staff. It was an all-round agreement.”
Just how difficult was it for Gannon?
“It was really tough, perhaps for the first or two I wasn’t accepting of it. I felt like there was something I could have done to play at the end of the year.
“However, about eight weeks in I realised I had to accept the decision and move on, put a plan in place and put myself in the best position for this year.
“It’s not often you go six months in rugby without playing any games but I used it as an advantage to get the best out of my recovery.
“I wasn’t in any contact, I was literally just lifting weights and doing field work with a no-contact bib. I did the non-player sessions and extra running to get fit.
“I got the fittest, strongest and heaviest I have ever been. I’ve put on about 5kg since I last played but I’ve got fitter as well.
“I’ve been pretty symptom free since about 48 hours from my last concussion. I’ve not had many issues with prolonged symptoms.
“The only one I had was about two-and-a-half years ago at Catalans where I was in bed for five days. I couldn’t turn the lights on but that’s the only one I’ve really suffered from.
“I struggled early on because I suffered two concussions in back-to-back games and was thinking to myself that I couldn’t even have one game of rugby without getting a concussion.
“But there was never any doubt in my mind that I would return eventually.”
