Jake Bibby's eye injury was worse than first feared

Jake Bibby is confined to his home but even if there was no lockdown, he still wouldn’t be able to train.
Wigan centre Jake BibbyWigan centre Jake Bibby
Wigan centre Jake Bibby

The Wigan centre suffered an eye injury in the club’s last game before the postponement – against his former club Salford a month ago.

At first, it was thought the injury wasn’t serious but subsequent scans revealed he would need laser surgery.

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And while he feels fine, the nature of the injury prevents him from raising his heartrate during his recovery period – meaning running, cycling, weights and circuits are off the agenda.

Bibby revealed: “When I injured it, we thought it wasn’t too bad but they found five tears on the retina.

“They told me I had to have laser surgery, which was a bit of a shock, but everything was okay.

“I can’t do any running or any training at all for at least another two weeks so, even without the lockdown, I wouldn’t be able to do anything really.”

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Bibby has tackled the boredom of being housebound by learning chess and listening to audio books on his daily, allowed walks.

He is also making sure he pays closer attention to his diet while he is prevented from burning off the calories.

“As soon as I got back home I sent a text to our nutritionist because I don’t want to become a slob and undo the hard work I’ve done in pre-season,” he said.

“So I’m high protein, veg and salad, no carbs... boring food, really.”

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The former Orrell St James junior, who moved to Wigan in the off-season, admits the lockdown took some getting used to.

“I’ve always been used to the regime,” he said. “Our average day at training is so scheduled, down to the hour, and when you take that away it does take some getting used to. I feel a bit lost to be honest.”

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