Craig Demmin doesn't sit and watch during practice.
The four-time Rhinos' team MVP did that enough in the months following January surgery to repair worn cartilage in his left knee. He hates being sidelined, so he runs to improve his fitness. He does low-impact drills to sharpen his ball skills. He waits for the knee to tell him it's ready.
"I'm pushing myself as hard as I can, but I know the injury. I know what I can do,'' said the all-league central defender who hasn't played this season. "I'm trying to be patient.''
No one wants to play more than Demmin, the 34-year-old with a physique that shows how hard and religiously he works out. The organization wants him on the field, but Demmin knows a premature return could mean re-injury and a spot on the sidelines until 2006.
"I can't give you a date,'' he said about his return.
Demmin didn't want to miss this much time. He was told the injury probably would heal with off-season rest, but it didn't, so that's why surgery didn't happen until January.