THOUGHTS of playing for ‘the Jersey Juggernauts’ again – and the dream of one day getting another shot for Wales – is what drove Reds forward Tim Grey to overcome an ‘excruciatingly painful’ seven-month injury lay-off.
The former Cardiff Blues and Wales U20 cap was at risk of never playing rugby again after tearing three ankle ligaments and breaking several bones in Jersey’s home Championship Cup quarter-final win over Hartpury in May.
After returning in the pre-season fixture against Leicester Tigers, Grey’s injury flared up, leaving him in so much pain he could barely walk. Additional MRI scans showed three bone fragments previously missed.
Six weeks after his latest operation, he made his return for the title chasers earlier this month and was on the scoresheet on Saturday as the hosts thumped Bedford Blues at St Peter.
‘The pain was excruciating, not so much when we left it, as it would then settle, but as soon as I started running on it or putting any weight through my feet, then I got the problems,’ Grey explained.
‘I ruptured my anterior talo-fibular ligament, my calcaneofibular ligament and crushed my deltoid ligament in the initial injury against Hartpury.
‘Coming back against Leicester, unfortunately the ligaments flared back up. I had another scan as it was still causing problems and that is when we found three fragments of bone, which had to get taken out.
‘Arguably it was my fault, I shouldn’t have pushed through it but I did, I thought I just needed stronger painkillers at first but it’s one of those things and I’ve managed to get through it.
‘It’s just part of playing rugby, part of being in the back-row, you’ve just got to get through it and now I’ve got to listen to my body. I’m getting a bit older, I haven’t got a bigger pain threshold than anyone else.
‘It’s fixed now, I’m happy that’s in the past. The last seven months haven’t been exactly fun but I’m back playing, enjoying it and that’s what matters.’
Despite Jersey’s form this season – unbeaten in ten league games and only losing to Ealing in the cup – Grey was immediately picked by boss Harvey Biljon, who said he is ‘delighted with Tim’s progress and hard work after a difficult injury’.
And the 26-year-old is now determined to push for more.
‘I love it on the Island. My girlfriend and the dog are over so it’s really nice and that really helped during my injury. Jersey feels very much like a group of friends pushing together and you see that in how the boys click and the results, but as a player I have ambitions to get an opportunity to go up and play, wherever it is, in the Premiership or URC [United Rugby Championship]. If that time comes and there’s an opportunity to explore then I want to get there and be part of it.’
He added: ‘I’m very proud to be Welsh and I’d love the opportunity to wear that red shirt again. That’s the dream that drives me during the tough times as a rugby player.’
