Ruptured ACL best thing for my career: Manly’s Saab

Scott Bailey | April 28, 2023

Manly winger Jason Saab says last year’s ruptured anterior cruciate ligament was a setback his career needed, offering him a new perspective on life and the NRL.

Saab scored the match-winner in Manly’s 22-16 win over Wests Tigers last week, with Saturday’s clash against Gold Coast marking his fourth game back from last August’s season-ending injury.

There had been fears the rupture could impact Saab’s speed, but the 22-year-old can now see the upside.

“This is probably something I needed to grow as a person, to figure out what I want to get out of life and what my purpose is,” Saab said. 

“It was more of a personal thing, and coming back to footy gave me a bit of a reset. 

“I’ve been playing footy non-stop for the last 10 years and I haven’t had a big injury before.

“So I used that to train really hard, work on myself mentally and figure out who I want to be by finding my identity.

“On the field, it was realising that I’ve got these dreams and aspirations, but being a fast player’s not going to get me there so I had to work on parts of my game.”

Saab has returned a bigger and more powerful winger, with a greater emphasis put on yardage from Manly’s backline this year.

But he said the biggest difference was a mental one, allowing him to dive into his faith and commit more time to charity work.

“All the time I questioned if rugby league was my purpose,” Saab said. 

“I truly believe that it is a God-given opportunity, so I’m just trying to take it with two hands and make the most of it. 

“Some people know that as a kid I was a victim of bullying, and I felt like that really helped me grow into the person I am now. 

“Given my platform, I need to give back to the kids who are going through that now. 

“I’m trying to set up mentorship programs. I know I have to give back, but I’m just trying to figure out how to do it.”

Josh Aloiai said he had noticed a difference in Saab, and that the injury had made his Manly teammate a more-rounded player and person.

“He’s come back and he’s reinvented himself,” Aloiai said. 

“That ACL was the best thing in the world for him. He worked on himself. He’s got a gritty, tough edge about him.

“It was first mentally, and then physically. They’re hand in hand now. 

“He’s strong and he’s big. He’s in a really good spot.”