TOM BOSWELLGOLD COAST BULLETIN OCTOBER 17, 2015 12:00AM
A REFRESHED William Zillman free from the constraints of a debilitating back injury says he is ready to reclaim the Gold Coast Titans fullback position.
Zillman underwent surgery on his back last month to fix a disc problem which has hindered him for three years and limited him to 10 games this season.
The 29-year-old, who has been one of the Titans most consistent players in recent years, made the decision to go under the knife after epidurals and large amounts of time with physiotherapists failed to improve the problem.
“It is an injury that I have probably had for a few years now and it is just one of those things where it has slowly got worse and it was time to get something done about it,” Zillman said.
“I spent a while trying a few different things to get back on the field and when it got to five rounds to go and we couldn’t make the top eight I started looking for a surgeon.
“It was frustrating sitting on the sideline and it is very tough to do. It literally just needed rest and I didn’t have the luxury of resting it up for six to eight months.”
Zillman said the surgery would enable him to play burden-free and produce the reliable brand of football he is renowned for without the fear of long-term damage.
“The idea behind the surgery is that it can certainly take pressure off,” Zillman said.
“Since I hurt my back it has hampered me a little bit over the last three years but the idea is to put it all behind me now and hopefully be back to 100 per cent.”
Titans teammate Josh Hoffman shared the fullback duties with Zillman in the early stages of the 2015 season before becoming Neil Henry’s predominant choice for the role when the latter was sidelined with *injury.
But Zillman is expected to be fit for the start of the Titans preseason in November and declared he would not be playing catch-up as he vies to reclaim the No.1 jersey.
“Every pre-season about 30 or so blokes are all vying for their positions and this pre-season will be no different,” Zillman said.
“Any competition is healthy competition for us. We are a team and are all working towards a common goal.”