HARRY Siejka is poised to give the Bulls a massive boost by returning to action within the next fortnight.
The Australian scrum half was cruelly struck down by injury during the home win over London Broncos on April 12.
He twisted his right ankle, suffering ligament damage and a fractured tibia which forced him to undergo surgery.
Siejka was ruled out for ten weeks but is on track to return in next Sunday’s visit of Dewsbury or the trip to Workington seven days later.
The former Penrith Panthers, New Zealand Warriors and St George-Illawarra pivot confirmed: “I’ll be back in two weeks.
“I got out of the boot a fortnight ago, so it should be bang on ten weeks when I’m back playing.
“That should hopefully be the Dewsbury or Whitehaven game, fingers crossed.
“It feels like it has been a long road because you feel a bit alienated in rehab, but I’ve done a couple of sessions with the boys and it has been good to get running again.
“I’m looking forward to getting back out there and I’d like to be in contention for Dewsbury but I need to see how I pull up in training, so I’m not getting too carried away yet.
“I’ll target Dewsbury at home but in all likelihood it will be Workington away.”
Siejka made a shaky start to his Bulls career, suffering the indignity of being sin-binned twice on his debut at Leigh, but in the games prior to his injury he had shown glimpses of his best form.
His partnership with Lee Gaskell was beginning to click and Siejka was having an increasing effect on Jimmy Lowes' side.
The 23-year-old said: “Gasky is a freak and, like I’ve said before, I reckon he could slot into an NRL team with no worries as well as do a job for any Super League team.
“We’re fortunate that he plays for us and I think he’s a big part of what we do on the field.
“Even around the gym, his professionalism is top class and we’re lucky to have him, so it’s nice to play alongside someone like that.
“Our partnership was just starting to click and for a couple of games we found a bit of rhythm and what worked.
“My injury was just bad timing and unavoidable really with the way I got tackled and fell.
“But that’s football and those things happen, so the time I’ve had off has helped me to get my other leg right because that was niggling.
“I had another couple of injuries as well, so I’m feeling fresh and I’ve been running well. Hopefully I can hit the ground running when I come back.”
Unlike over a handful of his team-mates, Siejka does not expect to head out on loan to regain his match fitness.
The close-season signing from Wakefield, who had a stint on loan at Featherstone last term, added: “Would I prefer to come straight back in at the Bulls? One hundred per cent.
“I went out on loan last year and it’s not ideal because you’re in the team for a week or so and it stuffs that team around and yourself as well.
“You have to learn new plays, so I’m not really a big fan of going on loan, but whatever Jimmy wants me to do I will do.”
The Super Eights are coming into increasingly sharp focus and the good news is that Lowes should soon have a full squad at his disposal.
Managing director Steve Ferres said: “We’ve got Harry Siejka, Dale Ferguson, Jake Mullaney and Matty Blythe all just about ready to come back into action at the same time. That will be a massive boost.”
Siejka is determined to play his part and added: “In the next couple of weeks, we will have a full squad without any injuries, which I think will be the first time that’s happened all year.
“It’s the right time of the year for that to happen, so it’s good.
“Everyone has been playing well too, which will make it harder to get back in, but it can only make us stronger.”
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