Caleb Navale completes rapid ACL recovery for Manly

Manly Sea Eagles player Caleb Navale has completed one of the fastest returns from an ACL rupture in NRL history. The 23-year-old returned to play just 186 days after the injury, which occurred during a final training session before pre-season trials.

Navale scored a try in his return match against Newcastle. His recovery is noted as the second fastest in the league, the quickest since David Kidwell for South Sydney in 2007. Navale attributed his rapid recovery to luck in avoiding further ligament damage, his age, and genetics.

Inspired by the career lessons of his father, Eparama, a former Fijian rugby sevens representative, Navale is now setting his sights on representing Fiji in the World Cup.