One of the National Rugby League’s most puzzling injury stories of the 2024 season has finally been unravelled, with Canterbury Bulldogs star Jacob Kiraz opening up about his secret Grade 2 calf tear and the incredible mental grit that allowed him to take the field weeks earlier than doctors predicted.
The injury occurred unexpectedly during the pre-game warm-up ahead of the Bulldogs’ Round 13 clash against the Wests Tigers, when Kiraz tore the calf muscle in his left leg. Instead of pulling out of the fixture, he hid the severity of the injury from the public and even shrugged off medical concerns to suit up for the match — just nine days after the initial tear, he delivered a career-best performance that helped power his team to victory.
Against the Tigers, Kiraz turned in a dominant display from the fullback position, racking up 261 running metres, breaking seven tackles and setting up six offload opportunities for his teammates. He was only substituted off the field with three minutes remaining in the match, as the side pushed for a late match-winning try. After the game, when reporters spotted his absence from a Tuesday training session, Kiraz downplayed concerns, attributing his early exit from the Tigers match to hamstring cramps — a claim he now says was completely factual, not a cover-up.
In the lead-up to the next fixture against the Parramatta Eels, rumours began to spread that Kiraz had suffered a serious calf injury that would rule him out for at least a month. But once again, the winger defied expectations: he not only took the field, he delivered another star performance, running 195 metres, breaking nine tackles and making seven offloads in a scrappy Bulldogs win. The team’s captain Stephen Crichton also turned out for the match despite playing through a persistent shoulder injury, adding to the side’s story of resilience.
Now, with the NRL bye week coming up to give him time to recover, Kiraz has shared the full details of his injury and recovery. Medical scans after the Tigers match confirmed he had suffered a Grade 2 calf tear, which standard medical guidance says requires a minimum four to six weeks of rest on the sidelines. But Kiraz insisted on preparing for the Eels match, saying he was willing to push through any pain to help his team.
“It happened in the warm-up before the Tigers game. I told the physios straight away that I’d hurt my calf, but I said it felt fine and I wanted to play,” Kiraz explained from the Accor Stadium sheds last week, still walking with a noticeable limp after the back-to-back matches. “After the game we got scans, and we knew I’d done something, but we didn’t realize how bad it was. When the physios told me it was a Grade 2 tear, I just said nothing had changed — I still wanted to play.”
Kiraz admitted that sitting out most of the training week between the Tigers and Eels matches was frustrating, especially since he is a player who prioritises regular team training. “It was really sore, but I told them I don’t care about the pain. I’ll take the pain as long as I can run out on the field and do my job,” he said.
Addressing the confusion around his injury status after the Tigers match, Kiraz — a deeply religious person — says he never lied to the media. “When I said I came off because of cramps, that was the truth. I actually got annoyed that I got taken off because of those cramps, I thought I should have stayed on for the final push, so that part wasn’t a lie at all,” he said, adding that he even had to ask his own teammates to stop asking about his status, as fantasy SuperCoach players were desperate for inside information on his availability.
He also explained why he chose not to disclose the injury publicly ahead of the Eels match. “I’m not going to go to a press conference and tell the other team I’m hurt, that doesn’t make any sense. On top of that, I was trying to convince myself it was nothing, too. I’ve learned through past injuries how powerful the mind can be,” he said.
Kiraz credits his strong religious faith for his ability to recover faster than expected. “Doctors all said I should be out for six weeks, but every time I get injured I come back early. It’s not that I’m forcing anything, I just get my mind in the right place and I pretend the injury isn’t there. It might not be the best choice for my body long-term, but I give all the credit to God. We’ve got the bye coming up now, so it worked out perfectly.”