The winger is determined to make up for lost time.
Hull FC winger Harvey Barron.
Harvey Barron is back in the Hull FC team and determined to make up for lost time.
Aiming to get back up to speed quickly after coming through a frustrating period, the winger regained his place in the team at Bradford Bulls last week after a rehab period that was far from straightforward.
Missing eight games in total, Barron had to see a specialist before his return to action in the reserves, and is now back in the first team and eager to hit his stride once more.
“It was a long time out, a lot longer than I thought it would be after initially getting injured,” Barron said. “But yeah, it was good to be back with all the lads and back in front of the crowd.
“It wasn’t very serious, compared to injuries I’ve had; it was just annoying. We didn’t really know what was going on. We did six weeks of rehab thinking we knew what was going on and nothing really changed.
“The ankle swelled up and I couldn’t really move and my range went back. So I went to see a specialist and he told us, essentially, the options that we had. We picked an option that got me back quicker and so far so good at the minute. Hopefully it holds up and I carry on playing.”
Outlining that rehab period, Barron, a regular in the Hull over the last two or so years, continued: “You just feel helpless. “I’m not very good in rehab, if I’m honest, as it is. I get bored quick. I need to keep occupied.
“I then had an injection so there was a week where I literally couldn’t do anything. I was in a boot for the week. I think it was when we beat Leeds and Catalans, and then everyone’s celebrating and cheering, and you just feel like you’re not contributing to the team. I wasn’t even training, and even when you’re training on the other team, you feel like you’ve contributed, but I was just sat doing nothing. It’s tough in that sense, but I’m all sorted now and I’m glad to be back.”
And while it may take a game or two for Barron to get up to speed, the goal now is simple: kick on. And get to the levels he believes he was at last year after what was, by his own admission, a slower start to the season.
“I just want to get back playing consistently and playing to a good standard,” the winger explained. “I thought the back end of last year was probably some of the best rugby I’ve been playing.
“I’m just hoping to get back to that standard and help contribute to the team. It’s just getting the reps back in. It shouldn’t take too long. I’ve been training for a few weeks now, but yeah, it’s just getting the reps back in, getting used to playing again, and everything will start moving like clockwork.”
“I didn’t think I started this season very well, so I’m hoping to pick up the form now and just make a few things more simple and just start getting my numbers back up.”
Looking to return to form, Barron is not on his own, with Hull looking to put a blip behind them and get back on track. They still have over half the season to play, and in their view, nothing is a write-off just yet.
“This is a good group,” Barron said. “Everyone’s got each other’s backs and everyone is mates, so hopefully we can gel a bit better on the pitch.
“We’ve tried to make everything more simple for everyone and just do what we need to do to start building our way back up again. That’s the goal at the minute. But we’re all a close-knit group, so it’s not like we’re all cutting each other’s heads off and stuff like that. We’re all good pals, so it’s hopefully an easy fix, but it takes a bit of building.
“We’ve got 16 games left. There are loads of games left. We’re not even halfway through yet, so we’re still striving for what we want to achieve this year and we’re going to keep pushing until the end.
“You can’t look too far ahead. You can only really play what’s in front of you and then we’ll rest up and look at what’s next.”
And while form has taken a recent slump, there’s every confidence this side, currently without 15 players due to injuries and suspensions, can turn it around, starting with Friday’s trip to Leigh Leopards.
“It’s cliché, but we train really well during the weeks,” Barron added. “It’s just sometimes it doesn’t fall into the game. We just need to keep working hard and keep rolling on.
“Leigh are getting all their bodies back and they’re fitting firing now, so it’s going to be a tough one, especially over there at their place on a Friday night.
“We can only handle what we can do. We just need to sort out what we’re doing wrong and start playing properly with how we want to play. Hopefully results will come off the back of that.”