Northland touch player Cullen Gray, 16, has made a successful return to the game after following an effective rehab programme. Photo / Touch NZ
Northland touch prodigy Cullen Gray is back on the field after almost a year out of the game with a broken leg.
The promising talent, who played at club level for Galaxy Touch Whangārei and provincially for Te Tai Tokerau Touch, was named in the New Zealand under-16 mixed touch squad for their tour of Australia last year.
However, his dream ended when he broke his left fibula and tibia in a tackle during a preseason rugby game.
He needed a plate and screws surgically inserted into his leg.
"The injury was really painful and it set me back for a long time," Gray said.
"I was pretty worried that I might not be able to play again."
The Auckland Grammar School boarder was out of action for eight months, which seriously challenged the 16-year-old.
"It was hard mentally coming back from injury.
"I was told that my leg was all okay to go but in the lead-up to my first game I had quite a lot of doubt."
However, Gray credited the TouchFit360 warm-up programme as a key part of his rehabilitation. TouchFit360, an Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) initiative, aimed to reduce incidence and severity of injury through appropriate physical warm-ups and bolstering mental fortitude through enabling hauora (physical, mental, social and spiritual health).
"It was a big step getting back out there but the TouchFit360 warm-up was a big help," Gray said.
"Knowing that I had warmed up properly and that I was ready to play put me in a much better frame of mind."
Gray advised any young touch players to prioritise their warm-ups to increase their chances of staying fit.
"If you warm up and cool down properly then you've got a much better chance of playing the whole season and enjoying it as well.
"For any young kids coming up, that is important so you can keep improving and grow that passion for the game."
Touch NZ Northland team leader Steven Beazley was Gray's coach for the national under-16 team and said the young Northlander was one to watch.
"Cullen is an elite athlete and a name to keep on the radar in the sporting scene," he said.
"He is an ideal role model of an athlete who pushed through the hard times to get to easy at the back end of his recovery."
Beazley believed the TouchFit360 programme, which had been implemented within Touch NZ, was crucial in keeping touch players injury free, given its focus on in-game movements such as contact, jumping, landing, and changing direction.
In the past 10 years there have been 3798 touch rugby related injuries in Northland and a total of 139,756 active claims for touch rugby-related injuries across New Zealand.
In 2019, ACC had 10,594 new claims from touch related injuries and spent $14.2m to help people recover. Almost $700,000 had been invested in TouchFit360 for the next three years.
ACC injury prevention head Isaac Carlson said he was pleased to continue investing in a worthwhile programme.
"If you follow the dynamic warm-up and take time to rest and recover, you'll be fitter, faster and stronger, and this will reduce your risk of being sidelined with injury," he said.
'You don’t want to be doom and gloom your whole life. That's just a miserable way to live'