An England debut and a date with Wales on Saturday will wash away over four months of misery for 19-year-old Hull winger Tom Briscoe.
Young winger ready for against-odds England debut
An England debut and a date with Wales on Saturday will wash away over four months of misery for 19-year-old Hull winger Tom Briscoe.
Briscoe, who damaged his ankle ligaments in April, has kept his spirits up during a lengthy rehabilitation from surgery with the prospect of representing his country in the end-of-season internationals.
At first the injury looked to have all but ended his dream but the ex-Featherstone junior was given a mid-season boost when England coach Tony Smith picked him for his elite training squad.
That was all that was all the encouragement he needed and, with the support of team-mate Danny Washbrook, who was recovering from a knee injury, he battled his way back to fitness in time for the last four matches of the Super League campaign.
"I was training pretty much by myself," said Briscoe. "Although Danny Washbrook helped me a lot to get through the boredom.
Big surprise
"Getting picked in the elite squad gave me a bit of a boost, and I was looking forward to this at the end of the season.
"I had been out for four-and-a-half months and only played a few games when I got back, so it was a big surprise getting in the squad."
Although he will be one of four players discarded for the Gillette Four Nations series following Saturday's match in Bridgend, he has been told to remain on stand-by.
In the event of injury, Smith has the option to bring in replacements to his 24-man squad
And Briscoe, who will make his debut alongside Wigan half-back Sam Tomkins, says he is raring to go if the call comes.
"Tony says he won't hesitate to put me in the squad if he gets any injuries or needs some back-up for the wing position," he added.
"I think I am ready. I'm certainly raring to go."
