After losing his own race to return early from a ruptured achilles tendon, Christian Welch fears for the four Wallabies chasing next year's Rugby World Cup after suffering a similar injury.
Going down in round one, the 2022 Melbourne co-captain targeted a comeback in time for the Storm's NRL finals campaign some six months later.
But with a specialist warning that by rushing back he could "play but not perform", the representative prop gave up on his ambitious target.
He had previously had two knee reconstructions, which added to the concern.
Welch revised his return date to round one 2023, when the Storm will take on beaten grand finalists Parramatta in a Thursday night season-opener.
Nine months on from his injury, the 28-year-old said he is still not back in full training.
"I'm back training and slowly integrating into the skills, so (it's) all tracking really well for everyone," Welch told reporters on Tuesday.
"It's just really good to get out there and run around with the guys, it's been a long time.
"I'm slowly ticking off the different type of training sessions we have, the more controlled sessions. Hopefully by January it will be full on.
"I was really hopeful to try and get back to play last year but once I accepted that I wouldn't get back we just really slowed it down and focused on the strength.
"Particularly with a history of having two ACLs, you're at a really big risk of doing another so we shut it down after that."
While achilles injuries are fairly rare, the Wallabies have had four within the playing group among a shocking injury toll this year.
Prop Taniela Tupou was the latest, tearing the tendon in the Test against Ireland in late November to follow playmaker Quade Cooper, backrower Rob Leota and another prop Harry Johnson-Holmes into the sickbay.
They are aiming to be back in time for the 2023 World Cup in France, which gets underway in early September.
Johnson-Holmes should be the most progressed after suffering the injury at training in late June. Cooper's was in August and Leota's in September.
"Taniela is going to be really racing (the clock)," Welch said
"Everyone's different and some people heal really well.
"I'm a big rugby fan as well, so I'm really hopeful those guys get back for the World Cup.
"But I found it really difficult, probably more difficult than my ACL recoveries, which probably have a longer timeline associated with them. Mentally it's been a really big struggle."
Meanwhile, Wallabies winger Andrew Kellaway was back around Melbourne Rebels' headquarters on Tuesday in a moon-boot after successful surgery on his foot.
Kellaway was another spring-tour casualty, with an existing fracture in the side of his foot worsening during Australia's loss to Ireland.
He had previously suffered the same injury in his other foot.
Kellaway told AAP he has had surgery to insert screws and was aiming for a Super Rugby round-three return.
