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NRL Casualty Ward Round 9: Bird, Scott headline monster list

Rabbitoh Alex Johnston is set for a stint on the sidelines, opening up the fullback role for a gun rookie, while Canberra flyer Jordan Rapana will also miss plenty of action. Latest on a bumper casualty ward from Magic Round.

Brien Seeney and Gilbert Gardiner
8 min read
May 15, 2019 - 12:37PM
Jack Bird is out for the season.
Jack Bird is out for the season.

Melbourne Storm will be without premiership centre Curtis Scott for up to 12 weeks.

Scott had scans on Monday in Melbourne which confirmed a fractured foot.

It is a cruel blow for the premiership centre who only just earned a spot back in Craig Bellamy’s team after two weeks in reserve grade.

But NSW Origin-bound Storm star Josh Addo-Carr backed Scott to return “even stronger” than before.

“I’m really close with Curtis Scott and he’s a bit down at the moment,” Addo-Carr said.

“This stuff happens and you’ve got to wear it. He’ll come back better and there’s no doubt he will, he’s that type of person, to come back even better.

“He was playing out of his skin at the weekend, it’s good to see him happy again.”

Scott registered a game-high 267m in the brilliant comeback performance, including nine tackle busts, two linebreaks and a length-of-the-field try.

Addo-Carr opened up about Scott’s resilience after the youngster was subjected to intense scrutiny in recent weeks, including unfounded rumour and innuendo about a possible defection.

“Over the last couple of weeks he wasn’t playing too confidently,” Addo-Carr said at Melbourne Zoo.

“I believe if you’re not happy off the field you’re not going to play good, he’s obviously overcome that and it’s good to see that he’s happy again and enjoying playing football again.”

Curtis Scott down with a foot injury.
Curtis Scott down with a foot injury.

Ex-Wests Tigers flyer Addo-Carr adopted the zoo’s nine year-old Sumatran tiger, Indrah, in a bid to raise awareness for the critically endangered jungle cat.

“It was crazy walking into the enclosure here, it was a great experience, I was watching my back the whole time,” Addo-Carr said.

“I went out the back there to give a bit of milk to the tiger and as soon as I looked away she grabbed the bottle... it started growling at me and roaring at me, it was a scary sight but an absolute pleasure to do it.”

Addo-Carr also endorsed excitement machine Ryan Papenhuyzen to slot in at fullback for Jahrome Hughes (concussion).

Hughes cannot be selected for Thursday night’s clash against Wests Tigers under the league’s strict concussion protocols, which mandate a minimum six-day break between games for players with concussion.

“I think we’ll be fine. There’s no doubt he’s going to do a job for us, I’m really excited for him actually.”

— Gilbert Gardiner

South Sydney fullback Alex Johnston will miss up to a month following surgery on his knee. Johnston’s stint on the sidelines will open a spot for gun rookie Corey Allan to shift to his preferred fullback position.

Latrell Mitchell made a miraculous recovery to return in the second half after leaving the field with what looked like an Origin threatening groin injury. High grade groin injuries can result in 6+ weeks on the sideline, but thankfully for Mitchell his appears to be low grade.

Whilst he was able to return he will be one to keep an eye on for next week, as minor groin injuries can become more painful once they cool down. Even if he needs a week or two on the sideline to let the injury settle he thankfully appears in no doubt for Origin 1.

Jordan Rapana went down with no one around him, and immediately there were concerns he had suffered a significant knee injury. After initial tests on his knee the Raiders medical staff suspected a PCL injury, with confirmation coming on Tuesday Rapana suffered a PCL strain. Rapana is expected to miss 3-4 weeks of action according the the club.

Daniel Tupou left the stadium in an ambulance after his head was caught in an awkward position during a tackle. His chin was pressed to his chest in a crushed tackle like position, and utmost care was taken as he was stretchered from the field. In some positive news the Roosters medical staff indicated this was all mostly precautionary, and he was later cleared of serious injury.

Latrell Mitchell down with a groin injury.
Latrell Mitchell down with a groin injury.

Jack Bird’s 2019 season is over after suffering a ruptured ACL in the Broncos game on Friday night. As Bird was pushing through contact the tackling player came down on his lower leg, pushing his knee forward and in. This is a common position that puts the ACL (and MCL) under stress, and after the game it was reported the Broncos medical staff were concerned Bird had suffered an ACL injury.

Jack Bird is out for the season.
Jack Bird is out for the season.

This was telling as the hands on tests the medical staff can perform to assess ACL integrity are highly accurate, with scans (such as an MRI) often only confirming what the medical staff already know. Unfortunately scans performed on Saturday revealed Bird would require ACL reconstruction surgery, and in the NRL this comes with a usual 6-9 month recovery period.

Sea Eagles front rower Toafofoa Sipley was stretchered off with a right knee injury, even requiring the green whistle to help manage his pain. As Sipley went in to make a tackle his leg was caught awkwardly, causing his knee to hyperextend and stretch to the outside. Des Hasler said post game that Sipley may have suffered an ACL injury, but they would need further scans to determine the nature of the injury.

Hyperextension knee injuries place several structures of the knee at risk, with the ACL, PCL, and PLC all put under stress and even bone bruising/fracture of the knee joint surfaces not uncommon. On close inspection of the injury video there is certainly hope Sipley has been able to avoid an ACL injury. Of greatest concern is a posterolateral corner (PLC) injury considering the way his knee was hyperextended and pushed to the outside. Not to be confused with the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL), the PLC is a group of ligaments (including the LCL) and tendons on the outside back corner of the knee which provide stability to the knee joint.

If Sipley has suffered a tear to the PLC that requires surgery, this can come with a 10-12 week recovery period. Best case would be some bone bruising with no ligament damage (3-6 weeks), but if the worst case scenario is realised and an ACL rupture is present his season would obviously come to an end. Fingers crossed for positive scan results for Sipley.

Andrew Fifita was restricted to just 6 minutes of game time after coming from the field with a right hamstring injury, the same hamstring he suffered a strain to just over a month ago. In positive news the injury is again thought to be minor and the Sharks are hopeful (like last month) Fifita will not be required to miss time. The previous hamstring injury Fifita suffered was said to not be a strain to the muscle fibres, but rather an injury to the fascia which is a sheet of connective tissue that surrounds the hamstring muscle. This is the best case scenario for any hamstring injury, but unfortunately like any hamstring injury it comes with the recurrence risk of 10-30%. Hopefully Fifita can strengthen the hamstrings quickly and reduce the risk of this recurring in the future.

Andrew Fifita on the sideline after suffering a hamstring injury.
Andrew Fifita on the sideline after suffering a hamstring injury.

The injuries for Cronulla kept coming with Matt Prior also restricted to minimal game time after suffering a recurrence of a nerve injury in his shoulder/neck in the first half of Thursday night’s game. Prior suffered a burner/stinger type injury the week before and aggravated the injury enough he was unable to continue playing. These neural traction/compression type injuries have a high recurrence rate as nerves are very sensitive structures. Sharks coach John Morris was still hopeful the issue was a minor one and with the long turnaround Prior would be fit for next week.

Moses Suli looks set to spend some time on the sideline after suffering a suspected compound fracture of his finger. A compound fracture indicates that the bone has broken the skin. It was initially thought that Suli had only dislocated his finger, but when the trainer was unable to re-locate (“pop” back in) Suli’s finger he was taken for the field for further evaluation. If it is confirmed Suli has suffered a finger fracture the recovery can be quite varied; anywhere from 2-8 weeks depending on the severity of the fracture and presence of damage to other structures (ligaments/tendons).

Connor Watson and Edrick Lee (both foot) went down for the Knights. “Connor managed to finish the game. He’s had a bit of plantar fasciitis over the course of the pre-season and start of the season,” said Balin Cupples, Head of Physical Performance. “Initial scans show he may have ruptured the full fascia which could be a positive for him. He’s back walking without crutches and out of the moon boot. If he manages his pain throughout the week, we’ll gradually build his loads and he may be available come the weekend.

“Ed Lee missed that last 15 minutes. He has a minor plantar fascia strain. Ed is getting scans this afternoon. Hopefully, similar to Connor, we get some positive news. He was walking post-game pain free… he may or may not be available this week.” Manly’s Api Koroisau also requires scans on a foot injury.

Very unfortunate news during the week with Joey Leilua requiring surgery on a bulging disc in his neck, with a high likelihood he would be unable to return this season. Any surgery involving the neck is significant, and even the most minor of surgeries to treat a bulging disc comes with a 3-4 month recovery time.

If Leilua only required a microdiscectomy (shaving of the bulging portion of the disc) he may have a chance to return late in the season with a usual 12 week recovery time. However severe issues can require fusion or disc replacement, and if this is the case the expected 4-6 month recovery time would almost certainly end Leilua’s season.

JUDICIARY REPORT

Maika Sivo (careless high tackle) is facing two weeks for a hit on Jahrome Hughes, who left the field with concussion. His ban will be reduced to one week with an early guilty plea.

FULL NRL CASUALTY WARD

BRONCOS

Jack Bird (ACL, Season)

Andrew McCullough (Knee, Round 14-16)

BULLDOGS

Raymond Faitala-Mariner (Knee, Round 12)

Adam Elliott (Ankle, Round 12-13)

COWBOYS

Josh McGuire (Calf, Round 11)

Enari Tuala (Quad, Round 13)

Te Maire Martin (Bleed on brain, Indefinite)

Nene MacDonald (Ankle, Round 21-season)

DRAGONS

Gareth Widdop (Shoulder, Round 20)

Jack de Belin (Stood down, Indefinite)

Corey Norman (Cheekbone, Round 13-14)

EELS

Maika Sivo (Suspended, Round 11)

Dylan Brown (Back, Indefinite)

Nathan Brown (Pectoral, Round 14)

Kaysa Pritchard (Personal leave, Indefinite)

KNIGHTS

Slade Griffin (Knee, Indefinite)

Aidan Guerra (Ankle, Round 20-23)

Nathan Ross (Foot, Retired)

PANTHERS

Waqa Blake (Stood down, Round 10)

Isaah Yeo (Shoulder, Round 12)

Malakai Watene-Zelezniak (Rib cartilage, Round 10)

Sam McKendry (Knee, Indefinite)

Tyrone May (Stood Down, Indefinite)

Wayde Egan (Shoulder, Round 11)

RABBITOHS

Greg Inglis (Shoulder, Retired)

Adam Doueihi (Knee, Round 10)

Braidon Burns (Hamstring, Round 11)

Cory Denniss (Shoulder, round 20)

RAIDERS

Jordan Rapana (Knee, Round 13-14)

John Bateman (Eye socket, Round 13-15)

Joey Leilua (Bulging disc, Season)

Joseph Tapine (Ankle, Round 17-19)

ROOSTERS

Boyd Cordner (Concussion, Round 11)

Brett Morris (Knee, Round 11)

Jake Friend (Biceps, Round 19-22)

SHARKS

Aaron Woods (Foot, Round 16)

Matt Moylan (Hamstring, Round 11)

Wade Graham (Knee, Round 11-13)

Shaun Johnson (Hamstring, Round 11)

SEA EAGLES

Moses Suli (Finger, Round 13-15)

Toafofoa Sipley (Knee, Season)

Addin Fonua-Blake (Knee, Round 10-11)

Tom Trbojevic (Hamstring, Round 12)

Albert Hopoate (ACL, Season)

Daly Cherry-Evans (Ankle, Round 11)

Jorge Taufua (Calf, Round 10)

Trent Hodkinson (Knee, Round 12)

STORM

Jahrome Hughes (Concussion, Round 11)

Curtis Scott (Foot, Round 22)

Scott Drinkwater (Pectoral, Round 10-12)

Tom Eisenhuth (Throat, Indefinite)

Brandon Smith (Calf, Round 10)

TIGERS

Chris Lawrence (Broken jaw, Indefinite)

Josh Reynolds (Knee, Round 11)

TITANS

Philip Sami (Ankle, Indefinite)

Nathan Peats (Pectoral, Round 16)

Ryan James (ACL, season)

Michael Gordon (Leg, Round 11)

Originally published as NRL Casualty Ward Round 9: Bird, Scott headline monster list

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