The New Zealand Warriors are poised to experience an unexpected early-season advantage, as Luke Metcalf is recovering from his ACL injury faster than anticipated.
Metcalf sustained the injury during the latter part of the 2025 NRL season, which sidelined him during the Warriors' finals push.
This setback was a significant loss for the Auckland club, particularly as Metcalf was leading the Dally M Medal tally before his injury occurred.
His absence contributed to the Warriors missing the top four and getting eliminated in the first week of the finals after losing to the Penrith Panthers at home.
Tanah Boyd, who stepped in for Metcalf in 2025, will once again take on the starting role at number seven for the Warriors, although this could change sooner than expected.
While Metcalf initially projected a Round 7 return, he recently shared on The Big League Podcast that he expects to return even sooner.
"I've passed all my testing, so tomorrow I'll be back. Last week was my first week knowing I'm not really restricted in much, so now's the good part. I get to actually train with the boys and do all the good stuff," Metcalf revealed on the podcast.
"I don't really have a week, but I know it'll be pretty early. It won't be that late, but yeah, not too stressed. I haven't actually said, oh bang, it's going to be this date."
"I've got a few boxes just to tick with the boys. I need some reps and some Ks in the legs, training with the team. Once I get through a couple weeks of that, I think then I'll be able to maybe put a timeline on it."