KEY POINTS:
Wairangi Koopu is feeling a sense of relief as the New Zealand Warriors prepare to play Parramatta in the National Rugby League (NRL) tonight.
The match in Sydney will end Koopu's long enforced break from first grade.
The second rower has been sidelined from the NRL since suffering a shoulder injury against Cronulla in the penultimate match of last season.
Koopu, 27, admitted that the long rehabilitation had been tough at times.
"But I haven't stopped training since I did the injury and I've kept my focus," he said.
"I knew eventually it would be time for me to come back to playing. I'm really pleased I'm going to be back out there. It's a relief, really."
The three-test Kiwis international has had two games for the Auckland Lions in the New South Wales premier league as build up for his 137th NRL appearance for the Warriors.
His match fitness was returning, but he would need a bit more time on the field to be at 100 per cent.
"I'm probably not quite ready to play 80 minutes of NRL football yet," he said.
"However, if I was left out there for 80 minutes, I would do my darnedest."
In their first taste of Monday night football, the Warriors are looking to avoid dropping out of the top eight.
To do that, they will need to end a run of three close defeats, which featured below par performances.
Koopu said one area being targeted was maintaining concentration to avoid mistakes that let the opposition back into the contest.
"We're trying to pick up the intensity and trying to keep up concentration levels," he said.
"It's the same things that are letting us down in the game. We're losing a little concentration and opponents make us pay."
Koopu injured his shoulder when making a tackle in a 12-10 home win over the Sharks.
When he was unavailable the following week for the season finale against North Queensland, it ended a notable personal record -- 52 consecutive NRL appearances dating back almost two years.
Coach Ivan Cleary said Koopu's injury was such that it was hard to predict exactly when the player would be back, so it was pleasing that uncertainty was over.
"I understand what Wai went through," he said.
"It's an injury where they couldn't put a finish line on it. That's really hard."
Cleary said Koopu didn't dropped off during all the training he did, despite not knowing when he would be in action again.
"He's trained as hard as anyone all through the offseason and during this season," he said.
"At least for the other guys, they knew what they were up for going into round one, but he was just doing it. He never complained, never dropped his intensity. It's great to see him back."
- NZPA
