Blake Ferguson ‘chance’ to play Monday

Sydney Roosters star Blake Ferguson is a “slight chance” of making a shock return for the NRL club against Melbourne at Allianz Stadium on Monday night.

That’s according to Roosters prop Sam Moa.

Whether Moa is on the money or playing mind games with Craig Bellamy’s Melbourne side will be revealed at the Roosters’ captain’s run on Sunday.

The 25-year-old Ferguson, who has scored three tries in his four games for the Roosters, returned to training last Monday after spending two weeks in the US receiving treatment on an ankle injury suffered against his former team Canberra in late March.

Ferguson had been tipped to make his comeback three weeks earlier than expected against St George Illawarra in round 15, still three weeks away.

“He’s been training hard and he’s done all the right things and hopefully we can see him on Monday, if not the week after,” Moa said on Friday.

“I think he’s a chance. I don’t know whether or not he’s a genuine chance of playing but I guess they are going to see how he goes this week at training and see how his leg pulls up and obviously how he reacts to the different loads of stuff that we do during the week.

“I think we’ll have more of an idea at our captain’s run on Sunday … slight chance, I think.”

Moa has been impressed with Ferguson’s hard work to get himself back into shape.

“He’s full of life and excited to get back,” Moa said.

“He’s always been a good worker and when you’ve got that much enthusiasm and love for the game it sort of makes it a bit easier.”

Ferguson’s injury came in his fourth game back in the NRL after a 22-month exile after being sacked by the Raiders for off-field issues.

He was initially expected to be sidelined for up to four months after fracturing a bone in his ankle against one of his former clubs Canberra in late March.

The Roosters are believed to have spent around $20,000 on Ferguson’s treatment in the US in the hope of fast-tracking his recovery.

He spent two weeks with a sports reconditioning specialist based near Philadelphia.

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