Injuries cruelled some of the game's leading players last year and in many cases their respective clubs simply weren't able to overcome it.
But with their rehab done and the hope of a new season upon them, these are the players who can have a massive impact when they return to the field in 2025.
Who will have the biggest impact in their injury return?
Brad Walter: Campbell Graham was the 2023 George Piggins Medallist as South Sydney's player of the year but the outside back didn't play a match in 2024 and he was sorely missed. A member of Australia's World Cup winning squad in 2022, Graham battled through a sternum injury in 2023, which denied him the chance to make his NSW Origin debut, and he finally succumbed to the pain at the start of last season. Regarded as one of the best defensive centres in the game, Graham is equally at home on the wing and his return this season will be a massive boost for the Rabbitohs.
Campbell Graham runs a superb line
Cameron Mee: Parramatta's hopes have long rested on Mitchell Moses shoulders and that will be no different in 2025. The halfback had one of the more bizarre seasons in 2024, winning a State of Origin series and leading Australia to the Pacific Championships title despite playing just eight games for the Eels. Parramatta came within one game of the wooden spoon without their on-field general and new coach Jason Ryles will be desperate for Moses to spend the bulk of the season on the field. Should that happen, the halfback is set for a big year, having grown newfound confidence from his success in the representative arena, and will play a key role in the Eels bid to return to the finals.
Colleen Edwards: Copying and pasting from the 2024 prediction - but with fingers and toes crossed not to do anything to tempt fate for Tom Gilbert. After working his way back from a season-ending shoulder injury sustained in the opening match of the 2023 State of Origin series, Gilbert's return for the Dolphins was over before the season proper even began, suffering an ACL injury in a Pre-Season Challenge match in February. Unable to to have surgery until May, it has been a slow recovery for Gilbert who is targeting a Round 1 showdown against former coach Wayne Bennett as his return match. A fierce competitor who helps drive standards in the squad, Gilbert will be out to make up for lost time in 2025.
Worrying signs for Tom Gilbert
Corey Rosser: Given he played in half of the Warriors' games last season and was only parked in the garage after Round 17, Tohu Harris is on the cusp of not applying to this category; but hear me out. The towering Kiwi spent most of his 2024 games injured – the latter parts seriously so – and was a shell of his usual self. Losing a player with his experience and skill is bad anyway, but for the Warriors it completely killed the plan for the way they like to attack under Andrew Webster, with that tactic requiring a middle forward with the elite ball-playing Harris possesses. If he can get back to somewhere near full fitness next season the 234-game veteran is going to provide a massive boost to the Kiwi outfit.
Martin Lenehan: Hearts sunk on the Gold Coast when skipper Tino Fa'asuamaleaui went down with a serious knee injury an hour into the Round 3 clash against the Bulldogs, and the club's worst fears were confirmed the following day when the Maroons and Kangaroos star was ruled out for the season. After opening the campaign with a barnstorming display against the Dragons, Tino looked set for a huge year, but a ruptured ACL meant he would take no further part in a season that finished with the Titans in 13th place and counting the days until their inspirational leader got back on the paddock. At 24, Fa'asuamaleaui has plenty of good years still ahead of him, and his return will make the Titans a far more formidable force as they look to climb back into finals contention.
