"He's a good whinger and we've missed that over the last six weeks"
Sidelined Warriors five-eighth Blake Green is leaving no stone unturned in his efforts to overcome a calf injury as he works around the clock to be fit for next week's crucial final round NRL clash against Canberra.
The 31-year-old playmaker will miss tomorrow's home game against Penrith with a calf strain suffered in last Sunday's defeat to Canterbury and is not certain to face the Raiders at Mt Smart Stadium on August 31.
Green is pleased with the progress made in his recovery over the last few days but together with the club's medical staff is looking at all options and going above and beyond to get himself right for a match which could decide their finals fate.
The club are even working to have a hyperbaric oxygen chamber temporarily installed at Green's home to help his recovery and improve his chances of returning before the playoffs.
Green will look to spend up to two hours twice a day in the tent-like structure which administers pure oxygen at high pressure and increases the supply of oxygen to the injured area to help reduce swelling and pain and quicken healing.
In between, Green will undergo physio twice a day and will also sleep with a cold therapy system attached to his leg, which will provide ice and compression throughout the night.
Blake Green of the Warriors. Photo / Getty
Coach Stephen Kearney was unsure whether the side's general would be fit and firing for the business end of their campaign.
"We're not 100 per cent sure," said Kearney. "What I know is [Green] has had significant improvement since Sunday and we'll just keep monitoring how that goes. Obviously we'll get a better idea of that early next week."
Meanwhile, the Warriors are expected to make a decision tomorrow on injured centre Gerard Beale's availability for tomorrow's match.
The 28-year-old suffered a hamstring strain against the Bulldogs and had to withdraw from training yesterday to receive treatment.
A call on Beale will be made before the side's captain's run this afternoon with Peta Hiku ready to replace him and make his 100th NRL appearance.
The good news is second rower Tohu Harris is raring to go for his return after seven weeks on the sidelines following two knee (meniscus) injuries.
"Gerard hasn't pulled up so good," said coach Stephen Kearney. "He felt it was still a bit sore after warm up at training today. [Thursday's] run is a bit later in the afternoon so we'll just see how he pulls up.
"Tohu pulled up fine so he'll be fine to go but it will be unlikely that Gerard will be ready to play."
Warriors centre Gerard Beale was unable to complete training today due to a hamstring injury. Photo / Photosport
Hiku last appeared in the starting side in the round 18 win over Brisbane but a broken finger ruled him out of two matches before he returned via the bench over the past fortnight.
The Kiwi international replaced Green with 10 minutes remaining against the Bulldogs and Kearney was confident the former Panther would be ready go against his old club.
"We've been trying to find a way to try to get him into the group at some stage because he's a highly skilled footballer, so we've been trying to find spots to get him on the field," he said. "If Gerard is no good then Peta will be a straight swap."
Harris has been named on the bench for his first game since the round 16 loss to Cronulla but could be promoted to the starting line-up.
"We'll see what we think is going to best work for him and the team but there could be an opportunity for T to start, but we'll just how it pans out over the next couple of days," said Kearney.
The 26-year-old trained all last week and will be a welcome addition to the side but Kearney was not sure how many minutes he would be able to manage.
"That will depend on Tohu in a sense, (depending) how the game pans out. If it's a real arm wrestle then that is quite taxing energy-wise, but Tohu is a pretty experienced campaigner.
"He hasn't played in seven weeks and it's a big physical team we're playing against so he might need a spell at some. I'll rely on T to give me that call."
Green's absence is a blow but Kearney is confident his replacement Mason Lino will slot in comfortably this week alongside halfback Shaun Johnson.
"[Lino] has done the job for us before so why wouldn't I be (confident)? The boys will obviously be rallying around him to help with his job but he'll be fine."
