Qantas Socceroo lynchpin and Queensland Roar captain Craig Moore has returned to training for the first time since he underwent surgery for testicular cancer last week.
Moore, 32, was expected to run a few light laps in his return to Roar training but surprised onlookers when he got involved in ball drills, it seemed the Socceroo veteran couldn’t help himself.
“Like a young a kid, you go out there and you start and you always want to do more,” he said.
“Today was more just about turning my legs over and getting them moving again. But you see the balls out there you just want to start kicking them about.”
It raised questions about when Moore could see himself ready to participate in a competitive match again.
“(I’ll play) when I feel 100 per cent, that definitely won’t be this weekend, it may be the following weekend,” he said.
“I’m not going to rush into anything and be silly, when I feel physically ready to go that’ll be the time that I get out there and start playing.”
In Moore’s absence his fellow Socceroos made a touching gesture by wearing the former captain’s replica jersey at training before Thursday morning’s (AEDT) World Cup qualifier against Bahrain in Manama.
“I’d like to thank everybody that has shown their support … as far as the lads in the Socceroos squad goes, I’ve had loads of messages coming through from them as well wishing me all the best,” he said.
“My reply was thanks very much, obviously things are going well over here, but three points over there would be nice as well.”
For now Moore is concentrating on getting himself right for a return and that includes maintaining a positive outlook and hanging around training and his Queensland Roar team-mates as much as possible as they chase their first home victory.
“For me its very important for things to stay as normal as possible, I love being involved with the football side of things and even if that not actually playing games as such, to come in here in see all the boys in the training environment, for me that’s still a big part of my day,” he said.
“I’ve always been a positive person … and that will not change. (Even with) the recent diagnosis and that sort of stuff I will still live my life from day to day and not live in fear of what the next scan or the next blood test may show.”
