NRL 2022: Casualty Ward, injury news, Payne Haas and David Fifita both cop setbacks

The verdict is in on Payne Haas and David Fifita — and KFC SuperCoaches have huge decisions to make. NRL injury wrap for Round 8.

Payne Haas is in doubt for the Broncos’ Round 9 clash against South Sydney. Picture: Getty Images.

Payne Haas headlines the casualty ward again this week after aggravating his grade 1 AC joint sprain and leaving the field in Thursday night’s win over the Sharks.

The Broncos forward initially appeared to in pain just prior to half time, but was able to return after the break with the assistance of pain killing injections. These seemingly wore off, and post match Kevin Walters indicated there is some doubt over Haas’s availability for Round 9.

The good news here is scans revealed no further damage to the joint, and minor damage in this location is very low risk in terms of long term or permanent complications.

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It mostly comes down to how well the pain can be managed, and if it is too much the best solution is to avoid aggravation/contact for a week or two and allow it to settle.

Haas was able to complete cardio drills at Broncos training on Sunday, so he’s still a good chance of playing next weekend. He will just be at an increased risk of aggravation if he cops a blow to the same spot.

Payne Haas and David Fifita both picked up injuries over the weekend.

David Fifita is in danger of missing Origin after picking up a moderate grade MCL injury. Partial tears like this need time to heal, for scar tissue to build, so he will spend the first few weeks in a brace.

The usual return to play range for this injury is 3-6 weeks, and with Origin 1 just over 5 weeks away it’s no certainty he will be fit. But the Titans are hopeful he will only miss 3-4 weeks, potentially giving him an NRL game to prove his fitness before Origin sides are selected.

Chanel Harris-Tavita has taken the award for toughest effort for 2022 and it’s only Round 8, after he played over a half of footy with what turned out to be a ruptured testicle. After copping some “friendly” fire via a knee from a teammate, CHT went down heavily but soldiered on to finish the game.

Thankfully the evidence shows that if these injuries can be treated within 3 days of occurring almost 90% of cases make a full recovery with no ongoing complications, and thus appears to be the case with the Warriors half. He is aiming to return in 3-4 weeks time.

Josh Curran was the perpetrator in Harris-Tavita’s case of friendly fire, but it wasn’t this incident that caused him to suffer a knee injury. Curran is still being assessed after copping some heavy contact in a contest for the ball late in the Round 7 game and is still on crutches in a knee brace. The likelihood here is a moderate to high grade MCL injury with some possible bony involvement, with the Warriors at this stage expecting him to miss at least 4 weeks (but possibly longer).

In other injury news from Round 8, Brad Parker (knee) and Jesse Arthars (shoulder) were unable to finish their respective games, but little information is available on the nature or severity of either issue at this stage.

Kurt Mann was also a late withdrawal for the Knights after suffering an injury at training, though similarly the Knights have not indicated when they expect him to return at this stage.

Scans confirmed a grade 2 MCL sprain (partial tear) for David Fifita, Titans expect him to miss up to 4 weeks. Quite the effort to play 40+ minutes with it. Will spend the next few weeks in a brace to assist ligament healing, usual return to play range in the NRL is 3-6 weeks. pic.twitter.com/8DMwN2L3aE

— NRL PHYSIO (@nrlphysio) April 30, 2022

WALTERS WARY OF PUSHING PAYNE BARRIER

Broncos coach Kevin Walters admits he is wary of pushing Payne Haas to breaking point as Brisbane’s star prop races the clock to be fit for next Thursday night’s clash against South Sydney.

Haas sustained a grade-one shoulder injury against the Bulldogs last Friday week and he appeared to aggravate his damaged AC joint in the Broncos’ impressive 16-7 defeat of the Sharks on Thursday night.

Despite being in obvious pain, Haas bravely soldiered on, with Brisbane’s No.1 front-rower still managing 125 metres from 13 runs before being called to the sidelines in the 54th minute.

Payne Haas is in doubt for the Broncos’ Round 9 clash against South Sydney. Picture: Getty Images.

The NSW Origin enforcer underwent fresh scans on Friday morning which showed no further damage, leaving Walters with a conundrum as he balances Haas’ welfare with the importance of having him on deck for a crucial clash against the Rabbitohs in Sydney.

Walters’ temptation is to play his most important forward as the Broncos chase a third successive victory which would entrench them in the top eight, but he is mindful of Haas suffering a more serious break down.

“He is in doubt again for sure,” Walters said when asked if Haas would play against Souths at Homebush.

“He is pretty sore, but he is as tough as old boots Payne.

“We will look after him medically, we’re not about trying to overburden him.

“If his shoulder isn’t right, he won’t play.”

Broncos performance chief Dave Ballard added: “We saw Payne (on Friday morning) at the club and he has pulled up okay but again we will have to see how his shoulder settles down over the coming days.

“His preparation for next week’s game will be adjusted to maximise his chances of playing but we will not be taking any risks.”

Haas suffered the injury in Round 7 but has managed to play through with the aid of painkilling injections. Picture: NRL Photos.

The Broncos enter the round 9 clash with a 4-4 record and the potential loss of Haas would be a blow to their hopes of beating Souths for the second time this season.

Broncos medicos will assess Haas over the coming days and may administer painkilling injections to ensure he takes the field at Accor Stadium.

Should Haas be ruled out, Tom Flegler is likely to be promoted into the starting side alongside new recruit Corey Jensen, who was outstanding against the Sharks, charging for 163 metres in his best game for the Broncos.

Vice-captain Kurt Capewell said Brisbane’s upset of the Sharks, after also losing star halfback Adam Reynolds (cut eye) for a brief period, is evidence they can compete with the NRL’s top-eight teams.

“We have a good team connection and that was evident against the Sharks,” Capewell said.

“We want to be a resilient team, it’s something we pride ourselves on and the way we pulled together when we lost ‘Reyno’ and did the job was awesome.”