Finn McMillan admits his return to Barrow Raiders first team action has been a long time coming as he took another step on his road to recovery following a serious ankle injury.
The young forward suffered the injury last September and went under the knife in mid-January, undergoing a successful ankle reconstruction.
The road to recovery has seen McMillan bolster his game time in recent weeks for Leigh Leopards’ reserves.
However, he made his return to the Raiders first team during last weekend’s defeat at Featherstone Rovers.
McMillan crossed for a first-half try, powering over to the right of the posts after Tom Walker’s offload to mark his first four-pointer in the professional game.
“It’s felt like a long time coming,” he said.
“I’ve been dying to get back on the field with the lads after such a long time out. Despite the result, I really enjoyed it.
“It’s a big achievement for me personally, scoring my first professional try. Being honest, I was mostly just excited to be out there representing the club again, and I hope to have done enough to force my way into the boss’ selection plans.”
On Sunday, the Raiders were unable to record their third consecutive Betfred Championship win on a difficult afternoon in West Yorkshire, falling to a 48-12 defeat as Featherstone moved into the play-off spots.
Head coach Paul Crarey admitted post-match that the squad fell well short of the standard expected, and McMillan is confident that they can bounce back quickly heading into this weekend’s clash with Batley Bulldogs at the Northern Competitions Stadium.
“As a group, we all know what we are capable of,” he added.
“When we are on it, I don’t think there is a team that can beat us, but it’s about doing the little things right.
“Consistency is the aim, and we need to turn up for each other every week.”
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