"After spending months working out the nagging injuries and ailments I had picked up through many years of contact sports, and countless hours improving my cardio, I felt ready to reunite with the Toronto Buccaneers and feel the joy of team sports once more. That was until I stepped back on the pitch, and the first tackle I took felt like a cement truck ran me over. Only to then feel like sandbags were tied to my feet as I dragged myself up and down the field."
"It was encouraging that he was finally able to come back and play. (Poeltl) played 20 minutes like we planned for him and it was good to see that he did not have restrictions on the court," Rajakovic added. "... It's really good to see him on the court now before the all-star (break) and that he can continue to build on this."
A club rugby player returned to team competition after the COVID-19 pandemic following months of rehab and cardio work but experienced immediate physical decline and fatigue during the first match, describing tackles as like being run over and movement as if sandbags were tied to the feet. Toronto Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic distinguished return to play from return to performance after center Jakob Poeltl returned from a 24-game absence. Poeltl played 20 minutes, scored nine points on 4-of-7 shooting, grabbed six rebounds, committed two fouls and finished minus-two while still building back to full form before the All-Star break.
Read at Raptors Republic
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