Dolphins winger Jack Bostock is officially on the comeback trail, determined to rewrite the ending of his 2025 season after his injury setback in Perth.
The 22-year-old came to a sudden halt in Round 16 when he suffered a devastating ACL, MCL and meniscus injury.
Six months on, Bostock says his recovery is finally gathering momentum as he works towards a return to the NRL in 2026.
After waiting six weeks for surgery and enduring what he described as a “slow and painful” early rehabilitation period, Bostock is now back around the squad, back into training and, most importantly, back running again - a major turning point in his comeback journey.
“It feels good to get out there again,” he said. “Now it’s just about ticking off all the boxes each week.”
While early in the running phase, Bostock is hopeful of returning between Rounds 8 and 10, trusting the Dolphins’ rehab staff to guide his progress. “If that’s what our rehab guys think, then I’m confident to back them,” he said.
Before the injury, Bostock was in red-hot form, scoring nine tries - including four in Round 15 - as the Dolphins sat in sixth and pushed towards their first finals appearance. Watching them slip out of the top eight while sidelined was tough. “It was pretty sad to watch the boys miss out. We were looking in good nick to make the finals, but the competition was really strong. The boys still finished the year well, and a lot of players got to tick off individual goals,” he said.
“Our goal now is to push for that finals berth in 2026.”
With a stacked backline and fierce competition for spots heading into the new season, Bostock says the battle for positions will only make the team stronger.
“Competition’s always good. Someone’s going to miss out, but that’s the game. It pushes everyone to train better and play better, and it helps all of us in the long run,”
Fans caught a glimpse of Bostock’s best footy before the injury and he is determined to bring that form straight back once he’s cleared to return. “I hope so,” he smiled. “I’m in a privileged position where coming in every day to rehab is my job. I just want to get the knee right, get back into the NRL and play my best footy again.”
Bostock will continue to build through the early stages of pre-season as he targets his mid-year return. For now, the focus remains on steady progress, ticking off milestones and putting himself in the best position to make an impact in 2026.
