Oliver Gildart was on brink of return when Covid-19 wiped out season

Oliver Gildart could have been forgiven for not knowing whether to laugh or cry when the season was put on hold.
Oliver Gildart in trainingOliver Gildart in training
Oliver Gildart in training

The centre had just completed a gruelling rehab schedule following the dislocated shoulder he suffered while playing for Great Britain last autumn.

He was training on his own and in small groups as he worked tirelessly to regain his fitness.

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And just as he was about to rejoin his team-mates for training, the players were told to stay home in line with the government’s advice.

“It’s frustrating, I was literally just about ready to get back on the training pitch with the lads, when this happened,” said Gildart.

“There isn’t much rugby training we can do, we’ve just been doing what we can, with weights and conditioning, and ticking over.”

The Premier League is considering returning as early as May, behind closed doors, to honour their TV contracts.

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And Super League chiefs have not ruled out the prospect they could follow suit if it gets them back in action quicker.

“It would be a bit of a weird one,” added Gildart.

“But we’ve all been there, everyone has played academy and amateur in front of a handful of fans, so it’s not like we’re not used to it.

“We leave it to others to make those decisions, but if that’s what they want us to do I’d be happy to. I just want to get back playing, whether it’s in front of one fan or 10,000!”

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