NRL 2024: Josh Addo-Carr out for 8-10 weeks, Jacob Saifiti sin binned for headbutt
The Bulldogs’ win over Newcastle has come at a massive price on a night in which Knights star Jacob Saifiti produced one of the dumbest moment of the season.
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The Bulldogs’ big win over Newcastle has been soured by news that winger Josh Addo-Carr is set to miss up to 10 weeks with a hamstring tear.
Addo-Carr scored a double in the opening half at McDonald Jones Stadium but left the field early in the second amid fears that he would spend a stint on the sidelines.
Addo-Carr underwent scans on Saturday morning and head of football Phil Gould revealed afterwards that the former NSW winger had suffered a high grade hamstring tear, which would sideline him for eight to 10 weeks.
DUMBEST SIN BIN OF THE YEAR? SAIFITI MARCHED FOR HEADBUTT
Newcastle enforcer Jacob Saifiti is the latest to fall victim to Canterbury pest Reed Mahoney.
Late in the game Mahoney tried to burrow over the tryline from close range but was halted by a pack of Knights.
As he got to his feet, there was a push-and-shove as Mahoney exchanged words with Newcastle players.
The referee tried to intervene, saying: “Boys, boys boys. Come on. There is a minute to go. Away we go.”
But Saifiti had reached his limit with Mahoney and after trading words he landed a rather gentle headbutt.
A stunned Dan Ginnane said in commentary on Fox League: “Oooooh! Jacob, Jacob you can’t do that. You cannot do that! Oh my goodness. One of the most unnecessary actions of the year.”
He added: “Reed Mahoney has got into the minds of the Newcastle Knights and it’s going to cost Jacob Saifiti a sin bin here – and he might have a little worrying to do overnight.”Cooper Cronk said: “With a minute to go on the clock, Saifiti has let his team down with a bad, bad decision. And the worst thing is what could come of it. It obviously wasn’t a lot of contact but still.”
DOGS DOMINATE KNIGHTS IN NEWCASTLE
- Jack Blyth
Canterbury have rubber-stamped their finals credentials after shutting out Newcastle on their own turf, a dominant defensive display earning the Dogs a 32-2 victory in their first away win of the season.
What started as an arm wrestle in the Hunter quickly shifted in the home team’s favour after a controversial moment early in the contest, with livewire rookie Davy Armstrong denied a penalty try next to the sticks.
The fullback raced through to collect a grubber metres out, only to be bumped off his line after Connor Tracey dropped a shoulder into the youngster.
What seemed a likely penalty try ended without a four-pointer, however Tracey’s sin-binning for a professional foul did hand the Knights an early 2-0 lead.
It would turn out to be their best opportunity of the half, as Canterbury drew first blood despite being reduced to 12 men.
A quick shift on halfway saw the ball land in Josh Addo-Carr’s lap, the ‘Foxx’ chipping for himself in what proved a comedy of errors for the Knights. Armstrong slipped over trying to regather the chip, taking out Jack Cogger’s legs in the process, and landing back in the hands of Addo-Carr to open the scoring.
The former Blues’ winger, who lost his Origin spot to Zac Lomax earlier in the week, quickly doubled up after a towering bomb slipped through Armstrong’s hands, giving the Dogs the ball just metres out.
The Blue and White quickly targeted the Knights’ feeble right edge again, finding Addo-Carr via a sharp tap-on from the recalled Drew Hutchison to extend the lead to eight points.
Canterbury did themselves no favours, turning the ball over again and again on their tryline, only for Newcastle to find a way to bobble each chance, including a dropped ball over the line from Dylan Lucas on the stroke of halftime.
The sloppy back-end-forth continued early into the second stanza, however the Dogs would suffer the first casualty of the half after Addo-Carr limped from the field with an apparent hamstring injury.
It leaves the Blues short another option if their backline doesn’t fire in Game I on Wednesday night, marking yet another soft tissue injury across the competition.
“He’s all right, he’s moving okay.
“Hopefully nothing too serious, but obviously wasn’t a good sign that he couldn’t finish the game,” Ciraldo said post-game.
It mattered little for the Bulldogs after they caught the Knights short on their right this time, a well-timed pass from Tracey sending Jacob Preston over the line for the third straight week.
The 14-2 lead suddenly didn’t seem enough for Canterbury after they lost Toby Sexton to the sin bin for another professional foul on Newcastle’s line, the off-side halfback jumping out to stop a darting Brailey.
However two Jackson Hastings knock-ons in two minutes swung the pendulum again, the Dogs crossing for their second try with 12-men during the contest after Josh Curran managed to plant a hand on a Mahoney grubber in-goal.
Accuracy from the kicking tee wasn’t on order for the away side, however defence was as the ‘Dogs of War’ continued to keep Newcastle on the back foot.
It was a change of attitude that certainly caught the eye of head coach Cameron Ciraldo.
“Speaking to people at the club, they said that’s the toughest win they’ve seen in a long time,” Ciraldo told the post-match press conference.
“So to face the adversity of having two blokes sent to the sin bin, lose Foxx, have guys defending everywhere.
“I think we had Kurt Mann playing prop, Bailey Hayward was out there, obviously we were a lot smaller.”
A second try to Preston and a late-try to Bronson Xerri wrapped up the crucial win on the road, with a Jacob Saifiti headbutt on Reed Mahoney summing up the home side’s night.
The former Blue spent the final minute in the bin as Sexton kicked his way to a 32-2 victory minus a host of their stars.
Knights’ skipper Jayden Brailey summed it up post-match.
“Definitely not a nice feeling in the stomach tonight, especially here at home. It’s not good.”
HOT DOGS SNARE RARE ROAD WIN
For a team sitting 10th on the ladder, the Bulldogs hold a few surprising records this season, sitting as the only side not to concede 30 points in a game, as well as their success being defined by which shed they sat in.
Canterbury have won every home game this year and lost every away match, finally breaking the streak on Friday night after bagging a win in the Hunter in front of 21,000 disappointed fans.
Minus Matt Burton and Stephen Crichton to State of Origin and Viliame Kikau to injury, it propels the Belmore-based side into the eight midway through the season.
After leaking more points than any other side in 2023, Ciraldo was adamant it wasn’t a structural change that’s fixed their defence.
“No change in the structure or system, it’s the exact same system we had when Newcastle pumped us twice last season.
“The change has been around the culture. We’ve got good people here who want to work hard, and they love each other.
“Whenever you’ve got that, you’ll be hard to beat. I love watching us defend right now.”
FLYING FOXX HAMSTRUNG AFTER OMINOUS FIRST-HALF
It was a bittersweet night for Josh Addo-Carr, recapturing his blistering form just days after missing State of Origin selection, only to succumb to a hamstring injury in the second-half.
The winger, who lost his Blues’ spot to Zac Lomax, scored the opening two four-pointers of the night and looked rampant with every touch as he terrorised Enari Tuala.
“He’s all right, he’s moving okay.
“Hopefully nothing too serious, but obviously wasn’t a good sign that he couldn’t finish the game,” Ciraldo said post-match.
The injury likely means the Foxx won’t get a chance to be recalled this series for Michael Maguire’s maiden campaign, however Canterbury are certain to regain the flyer later in the year as they push for their first finals appearance since 2016.
Josh Addo-Carr won’t return after suffering a right hamstring injury. Sprinting mechanism + heavy limp when coming off - would be lucky to escape with only a minor strain.
— NRL PHYSIO (@nrlphysio) May 31, 2024
Addo-Carr has a history here - missed 3 weeks with a Grade 2 hamstring strain in 2023. pic.twitter.com/trjlEvAUdi
ARMSTRONG AGONY AS CONTRACT WEIGHS ON DAVY
The recent rumours of rookie Davy Armstrong’s potential move to Bondi certainly weighed on the fullback on Friday, his first shocker since debuting against the Dolphins last month.
The Knights, who are four-from-four since Armstrong’s debut, have been attempting to convince the custodian to stay put in Newcastle, despite being stuck behind Dally M medallist Kalyn Ponga.
“Possibly (the contract weighed on him).
“He’s only a young bloke, he’s only played a couple of games and gotten pats on the back. It’s all new to him, the speculation about contracts and management.
“He’s young, he’ll learn from it,” O’Brien said during the post-match press conference.
Armstrong dropped two crucial bombs and was caught out of position on a few occasions, the 23-year-old clearly had other things on his mind as he weighs up joining former Knight Dom Young at the Roosters.
Originally published as NRL 2024: Josh Addo-Carr out for 8-10 weeks, Jacob Saifiti sin binned for headbutt
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