ANY nervousness or anxiety surrounding a return to the rugby field have been laid to rest, says rebuilt Warrington Wolves forward Ben Harrison.

After having reconstructions of his left knee, both shoulders, and wrist surgery, too, the 28-year-old ended a difficult 2016 season in positive fashion with three matches on loan for Wakefield Trinity Wildcats during September.

It means he is now looking forward to 2017, a year in which he has been afforded a Testimonial campaign to mark his service to the club and rugby league.

“To get back playing after the four operations I had and the length of time I was out did me a world of good in terms of confidence,” said Harrison, whose last first-team game in primrose and blue was the 32-16 win at St Helens as the Super 8s ended in 2015.

“I think it worked out at 11 months without a game.

“After what I’d been through there were thoughts about how my body would come through, so to test the body, put it about, get into the contact and wrestle of matches was brilliant. It put the nerves and anxious feeling to bed.

“The opportunity came up for me to play for Wakefield and it just ticked a load of boxes, including not wanting to end the year without games under my belt.

“The Wakefield experience took me out of my comfort zone. I realised there’s two more hours in the day - 6am and 7am - that I’ve never seen before.

“The early starts, the M62, the journey, car sharing with people, training with different people, different environment, different set-up, different standards than what Warrington have.

“It was a really good experience because for me I’ve had all my career at Warrington and only experienced that. I enjoyed it. It was probably what I needed on the back of what had been a tough year.

“It’s put a positive light on the back end of what had been a bad year for me personally, although the club have gone fantastically.

“I can look forward to my last year on my contract with Warrington. I’ve been awarded a Testimonial by the club and the RFL and I’m really looking forward to celebrating the time I’ve had at Warrington so far as well as looking forward to another successful year.”

Barrow-born Harrison, who came through the club’s academy ranks and made his debut in 2006, went under the knife as soon as last season ended.

A posterior cruciate ligament reconstruction and microfracture of his left knee was followed a week later by surgery to pin his scaphoid bone and tidy up his wrist.

His left and right shoulder reconstructions followed in March this year.

“It was really awkward because I couldn’t have them all done at once,” said Harrison.

“I couldn’t have my shoulders done at the same time as my knee because I needed to be on crutches and then fully able to walk again.

“They wanted me to wait a suitable length of time to be able to do leg weights too before I had my shoulders done, because there’s no point in not being able to do both upper body weights and lower body weights.

“So we had to periodically stage the operations so that I didn’t become disheartened at not being able to do anything.

“There’s nothing worse than not being able to play, but not being able to train either can top that off – not getting rid of some of your anger, and you need to keep your fitness and shape.

“We got round it in the end and got there finally.

“I’d been carrying some of the injuries for three or four years. With my knee, the actual snap of the ligament was in 2011 or 2012 against Huddersfield. You can play without it, but it gradually got worse and so it got to the point that it had to be dealt with.

“The club were really good with me and said take the year out, get yourself right and instead of having a half fit Ben Harrison we’ll have a fully fit Benny Harrison the year after.”

He missed out on what would have been a fourth Challenge Cup Final, third Grand Final and second League Leaders’ Shield campaign with The Wire.

He said: “As much as I’m a player for Warrington Wolves, I’m a fan as well. So from that part of it, I’ve been buzzing to see the club doing well, my mates doing well.

“It’s still been massive for me as a person to see the boys achieving.”

He admits it has been difficult though.

“You don’t like to miss out. In a way it’s not nice to say, but you don’t want to be left out.

For example, it was the first Challenge Cup Final in my time at the club that I haven’t been involved in.

“It was a good in a way, as I got to see it from a different point of view. I got to soak up the atmosphere and all the nerves of the lads and all the build-up to it.

“At the time it was like a sucker punch.

“It was tough towards the start when I was on crutches, or plaster cast that I had on for 12 weeks when I couldn’t get a proper shower or get in or out of the bath, little stuff like that was frustrating.

“But mentally I really struggled at different points, with not being able to get out there.

“And as brilliant as it is to see the lads doing well, you also feel left out a little bit while watching it.

“You’re not in that team environment as such because you can’t go out on the field, you can’t train, you miss out on a laugh and joke maybe while you’re doing your rehabilitation or your physio treatment.

“Although you’re still with the lads, you do get isolated a little bit and it’s frustrating to say the least.

“It took a little bit for me to get used to, and at the time I wasn’t in a very good place.

“But I saw the light at the end of the tunnel and those games with Wakefield have put a positive shine on the ending to the season.”