Teammates of Stephen Crichton are attributing his impressive recovery to his "super genes" as the Bulldogs centre hopes for a swift comeback following his shoulder injury.
The Bulldogs had been preparing for the potential loss of their captain for over a month after he was injured during a match against South Sydney on Good Friday.
The 25-year-old was diagnosed with a significant grade-five AC joint injury, which coach Cameron Ciraldo noted he was previously unaware could be graded that high.
On Tuesday, Ciraldo included Crichton in the extended squad set to compete against Parramatta on Sunday, and the centre took part in the Bulldogs' first major contact training session of the week on Wednesday.
Impressively, the NSW State of Origin representative is making strides to return to the field for round seven, just two weeks after his injury.
Fullback Connor Tracey remarked, "He trained today, he trained pretty good. I'm hoping he gets out there. Hopefully we see him on the field."
Remarkably, Crichton has never missed consecutive NRL games due to injury since debuting for Penrith in 2019.