NRL 2023: James Tedesco sufferers category 1 HIA as Roosters win 34-12 over Eels

The Roosters have ended Parramatta’s season to keep their remote finals dream alive, but could be without their for a must win clash next week, after James Tedesco suffered an ugly head knock.

James Tedesco was forced from the field with a category one HIA, leaving him in doubt for the Roosters must win Round 26 clash. Picture: Fox League.

The Roosters are still in the hunt for a top eight finish after they eliminated the Eels from finals contention on Friday night, but they’ll be without skipper James Tedesco next week after the superstar fullback was concussed in the 34-12 win.

Two weeks after the NRL cracked down on high contact, Parramatta’s Maika Sivo was lucky to stay on the field in his first game back from a four-game ban when he charged in off his wing and caught Tedesco high in the 60th minute.

The Roosters star was falling but the contact was still high and left him dazed, with Tedesco initially ruled to be showing category two symptoms only for that to be upgraded to a category one which means he won’t play against his former side under the NRL’s mandatory 11-day stand down period for concussed players.

James Tedesco was forced from the field with a category one HIA, leaving him in doubt for the Roosters must win Round 26 clash. Picture: Fox League.

Tedesco has had concussion issues in recent years so the latest knock is a huge concern going forward, with Golden Boot winner Joseph Manu the logical man to replace him at the back.

The skipper was the best player on the field, scoring twice and setting up two more tries as the Roosters’ attack finally showed signs of life after plenty of teething issues throughout the year.

The win is their third on the trot and has them on 28 points, level with the Rabbitohs who they face in the final round.

The Roosters should beat the Tigers next week which could set up a virtual elimination final against their fierce rivals in Round 27 with the winner likely to sneak into the top eight.

There is another concern with Jared Waerea-Hargreaves in some doubt for the Tigers game after he missed Friday’s match with a neck injury which means he could be stranded on 299 games if the Roosters don’t make the finals.

Tedesco has a history of head knocks, and could be replaced by Joseph Manu if he is unavailable for the Roosters in Round 26. Picture: Getty Images.

WAKE ME UP WHEN SEPTEMBER ENDS

Roosters fans can still dream about a miracle run to the finals, but it’s a very different story out west with the Eels done and dusted for the year.

A year after they were beaten by Penrith in the grand final, Parramatta will again finish up a season against their noisy neighbours, but this time in Round 26 given they have a bye in the final week of the regular season.

There were questions at the start of the year whether their premiership window had closed given they had lost so many key players, and those concerns seem justified after an underwhelming campaign that has seen them spend just six weeks in the top eight.

On a night they simply had to win to keep their slim finals hopes alive, Parramatta set the tone early with a failed captain’s challenge in the very first set that they were never going to win.

That type of ill-discipline had plagued them all year with Ryan Matterson missing several games to start the season when he chose a ban over a fine, with Reagan Campbell-Gillard the one to beg for a challenge in what was his first game back from a four-match suspension.

The Eels opened the scoring when Bryce Cartwright reached out and just found the line, but it quickly went downhill with skipper Clint Gutherson blowing up at his teammates and then the referee on an ugly night that ended their season.

The Eels premiership drought will continue for another year, with their finals dream officially dead for 2023. Picture: Getty Images.

SCRUM AND SCRUMMER

Parramatta’s edge defence has been a real issue this season and it was exposed horribly with two moments of madness in the space of four minutes which saw a 6-0 lead become a 12-6 deficit.

The Eels were caught out last week by a brilliant Broncos set play from a scrum and the Roosters must have studied the tape because they went straight back to that edge for Tedesco to stroll through thanks to a poor miss by Sean Russell.

The visitors went straight back to the well after they were gifted field position because of a Will Penisini error, and this time they shifted to the right where Sivo jammed in and took no one which allowed Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii to score.

Originally published as NRL 2023: James Tedesco sufferers category 1 HIA as Roosters win 34-12 over Eels