Blackburn Rovers full-back Brett Emerton is on the road to recovery after six months out with a knee injury. "I'm at the stage now where I've had my first full hit-out; I had a bit of a sprint today," Emerton told The Sun-Herald.

"It gave me an idea of where I'm at. Touch wood it continues the way it has.

"I've been running quite some time now, and twisting and turning out on the park so things have progressed well. It has taken a lot of hard work, but I'm at the stage now where I am starting to get more involved [at training]."

Blackburn physio Phil Coles added: "Brett was unbelievable.

"He worked twice a day every day on the injury - not too many people do that - so it says a lot about his persistence. He was diligent to the point that when he went to the Central Coast with his family for a break, he took Phil along so they could work together."