'I was a mess': Emotional Allan makes NRL return after 596-day absence

After a 596-day absence from the NRL, Dragons winger Corey Allan had to confront an unexpected bout of game day nerves as he returned from an ACL injury at Magic Round.

While his first official game on his comeback journey was Round 1 of the NSW Cup in March, running onto Suncorp Stadium against Wests Tigers was his own magical moment of the Magic Round weekend, with the Brisbane-born Allan playing in front of family and friends.

“I felt really good, (but) you forget how fast and how much of a step up NRL is from NSW Cup,” Allan said.

“It felt good to get that out of the way, first game under the belt, but (what I have to work on is) just that game fitness and getting used to it again.

“But I was super proud for myself and the journey I've been on just to get here.

“I had all the fam here and my partner Teigan, who was just shining a light through it all.

“The first few weeks I couldn't do anything by myself, so I was really dependent on her. I was in a dark space … (but) she just had that positive attitude the whole way through, helped me through it, so I'm really thankful for her."

The journey back to the NRL has been gruelling for the 27-year-old, who is no stranger to long-term injuries, having suffered multiple hamstring and groin issues, as well as a patella tear in his time with Rabbitohs, Bulldogs and Roosters.

Allan moved to the Dragons on the eve of the 2024 season on a one-year deal, eager to rediscover the form that earned him an Origin cap in 2020, but he was struck the devastating injury blow weeks into his training.

But the club showed remarkable faith in him, re-signing him until the end of the 2025 season – giving him the peace of mind to focus on his rehab.

“I came to the club and … I was really excited and I trained a few weeks before the Chrissy break and trained quite well and put myself in a good position where I was pushing for a starting spot," Allan said. 

“And then first week back after Chrissy break, did my knee in the wrestle room.

“My first thought was, ‘well, I'm only here for the year and no one's going to sign someone that's just did their knee'.

“I guess I went pretty negative pretty quick and thought that was it for footy, but Flanno (Dragons coach Shane Flanagan) showed some good faith and he told me he'd look after me and he did.

"That made me focus on the rehab and got me through the year, and I guess I got to sort of show a bit of that (against the Tigers).

“Obviously a win would have been good, but hopefully this is just a building block and we could just keep getting better every week.

“I'm just thankful to the club and I'm so thankful that the physios have done a really good job with me. From top to bottom at the Dragons, they have been really good and they got me back to where I need to be.”

Flanagan welcomed the Logan Brothers junior's return to the NRL, with Allan having last played in 2023 for the Roosters in their elimination final loss to Melbourne, 596 days apart. 

“I thought Corey did well, he carried the ball strong at the back end of the field and the try saver under the goalpost on Bula, he did his job," Flanagan said. 

“I thought Corey did a good job and he's on the back of an ACL which was disappointing, he was just about to get to the start last year and did his ACL just before the season started, so he's worked hard in the rehab room and it's good to see him back.”

While Allan now has 64 NRL games, as well as Origin and Prime Minister’s XIII appearances under his belt, making his return had him almost as nervous as his 2019 debut.

“It was really good throughout the week I was telling myself, 'I'm not going to be that nervous, I've played plenty NRL games and Origin' ... and then on game day, I was a mess,” Allan said.

“I couldn't sleep, I was trying to get a nap in before the game and trying to calm myself.

“It's tough to describe just how much nerves play a big part, but I do try to think of it as you're excited instead of nervous and as soon as you get out there, get your first run, all that goes away.

“All the noise, you can't hear any of the noise once you're playing, so, it just felt so good to get out there.

“All through the week, I was just praying that I got through the week of training and I did and so now I got the first game under my belt and I couldn't be happier.”