Luckless Rebels winger Dom Shipperley feels his luck might just be changing.
Shipperley was contemplating retirement part way through 2017 as he battled back-to-back knee injuries, the latest in a string of bad injury fortune.
“There was times along the way where I questioned whether I should keep playing just because the nature of the injury took quite a long time to actually improve,” he said.
“But in the last three or four months of last year I actually started to see some improvement and rejoined training and got through the full preseason, which was pretty good for me.”
A month away from constant rehab gave Shipperley the time he needed to get the joint back to where it needed to be, a turning point that has allowed him to make it through a full preseason for the first time in recent memory.
“I can't remember the exact day or anything but it was probably in September last year (it started to turn),” he said.
“I just really struggled with running back-to-back days because I had two injuries in a row on the same knee so it was quite irritable for a long time.
“Then we stopped and took a step back and took it easy and came back a month later and I could cope again and it's just been strength to strength from there.
“I think it was the first full preseason I've done in like six years so it's all about consistency and getting some durability in your body and being able to cope with the workload.”
The Rebels’ trial against the Brumbies last week was Shipperley’s first game in 15 months, after that long and frustrating sideline stint.
Finally fit, Shipperley now faces what he admits is a ‘daunting’ challenge to push his way into a star-studded Rebels side.
The former Reds winger is one of the few Rebels survivors from 2017 and will have to compete with stars like Sefa Naivalu, Marika Koroibete for a start.
“One of the exciting and daunting things is you've got to really prove yourself to the new coaching staff after you've already been there for a long time, so I think that pushed a lot of guys in the preseason and really changed the way that people worked for the better," he said.
Though it won’t be an easy task, Shipperley said Melbourne was due for an overhaul after some lean seasons.
“I think we've got a lot more talent on board now and in some really key positions as well so I think we've got the right players to get it done and I think the right coaching staff.
“I guess the only thing left to do now is actually go and do it from round one and until round (18).”
A young Rebels squad was knocked out of the 2018 Brisbane Tens after losing two of their three pool matches.
The Rebels take on the Waratahs in their final preseason trial on Thursday night at Brookvale Oval, Manly.
