Sam McKendry ready to make rugby league comeback after third knee reconstruction

Rugby league’s unluckiest man, Sam McKendry, will take his first tentative steps back onto the field this weekend, more than a year after doctors told him his career may be over.

The Kiwi international and Penrith prop tore his ACL for the third time early last season, having to undergo his third knee reconstruction.

His future looked grim at the time and Penrith were considering retiring him on medical grounds.

But, to their credit, the Panthers stuck by McKendry, who has been with the club for more than a decade and played nearly 150 top-grade games.

McKendry, 29, has played just 14 games in the past three years and has pushed himself to the limit in the gym and the training paddock to get back on to the field.

He will make his tentative return in the Canterbury Cup this weekend - with the entire Penrith club crossing its fingers the popular prop comes through unscathed.