How Jayme turned fractured fairytale into a dream comeback

Jayme Fressard readily admits she loves yoghurt but her secret to returning from a fractured right elbow was less about calcium and more about hard work and perseverance.

The 28-year-old Roosters winger was medi-cabbed off Allianz Stadium in Round 1 after getting her arm caught in a tackle and tearing a multitude of ligaments in a partial dislocation.

Doctors said it would be a six-to-eight week injury and she immediately latched onto the smaller number.

“As soon as I heard ‘six weeks’ I had that in my head from the get-go,” Fressard told 94ddz.com.

“As soon as I got out of the (arm) brace, I got to work. I was going to do anything to get back on the field.”

And true to her word she ran out onto Polytec Stadium in Gosford for the Round 7 match against the Knights and got through 27 minutes of game time in the 30-14 victory.

Due to Fressard's diligence in rehab proving her arm bones and elbow were strong enough, coach John Strange didn’t put her back on the left wing where her tackle count would be smaller – he shoved her in the middle among the forwards.

“I had a chat with Strangey during the week. I was always going to play limited minutes because of the time I’d been off,” she said.

“Macie (Carlile) picked up a bit of an injury last week (against Titans) so we were missing a front-rower.

“Strangey thought it would be good for me to test myself and go straight into the middle.”

Tough love, as Fressard has never played there before.

“I wasn’t really anxious about my arm because I’d done 100 per cent contact during the week. It was more coming off the bench that made me nervous as I’ve always started," she said.

“Usually I get straight into the game but this time I had to wait.”

Patience is not usually a Fressard strong-point but this injury has taught her to use her down-time wisely.

Her rehab included resistance band work, stationary bike, plus building up sets of weights in her strength program.

“I had a lot of work to get through the week before the game but I saw the surgeon on Thursday and he was pretty happy. I strapped it up and off I went," she said.

Next stop the Eels at CommBank Stadium next Saturday and Fressard doesn’t care if it’s in the front row or wing, as long as she’s on the field.