Titans admit concern over Chris McQueen neck injury

CHRIS McQueen is fighting to salvage his Titans career and World Cup campaign with the veteran back-rower facing surgery on a worrying neck injury.

The club is hoping McQueen’s injury calms by itself. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

CHRIS McQueen is fighting to salvage his Titans career and World Cup campaign with the veteran back-rower facing delicate surgery on a worrying neck injury.

The Courier-Mail can reveal the England international is battling nerve damage in his neck as he makes a desperate attempt to return with the Titans walking the finals tightrope.

McQueen, who will link with Wests Tigers next season, has missed the Gold Coast’s past three matches because of multiple neck injuries and is resigned to having surgery to make a full recovery from the persistent problem.

The 29-year-old has undergone treatment to help alleviate the injury but is no certainty to play out the remainder of the season, putting a dent in the Gold Coast’s dreams of back-to-back finals appearances.

McQueen is hoping to play through pain and add to his tally of 38 appearances for the Titans, but neck injuries are incredibly fickle and potentially dangerous. The hardworking backrower missed the Gold Coast’s recent win against St George-Illawarra after copping a knock at training the day before the game.

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The club is hoping McQueen’s injury calms by itself. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

McQueen is awaiting a specialist’s opinion before deciding the best course of action but if he does go under the knife he is facing a four-month recovery which would rule him out of the season-ending World Cup.

McQueen made his debut for England under Wayne Bennett in the mid-season Test against Samoa and was hoping to play in the World Cup.

Before last Saturday’s impressive win against reigning premiers Cronulla, Titans coach Neil Henry admitted McQueen’s injury was a concern.

“It’s been ongoing for him. We’re hoping it settles and it’s nothing that’s going to keep him out for another month,” he said.

“At the moment it’s not good enough for him to do contact. It’s a completely different injury. It’s the other side of his neck. He had a problem there before and he’s stirred it up in the game and hurt it at training.

“He’s responded to treatment and is running around but he’s on restricted duties with contact. Until he gets that strength back and confidence to be in full contact we can’t risk him.

“He’s not in the right frame of mind anyway to play with a neck injury. It’s just too sore.”

McQueen is on light duties until he improves. Photo: Steve Holland

The Titans are remarkably still in finals contention despite languishing near the bottom of the table for most of the season. They have won their past three games and Saturday’s clash against the resurgent Panthers at Pepper Stadium shapes as a crucial encounter in their race to September.

The normal cut-off for the top eight is 28 points, meaning the Titans must win five of their final seven matches to sneak into the play-offs.

It could be 30 points this season if Parramatta (24) and St George-Illawarra (22) continue to rack up wins given how poor bottom three sides South Sydney, Wests and Newcastle have been.

McQueen, a former Queensland Origin forward, played all 25 games of the Gold Coast’s drought-breaking finals season last year after joining the club from South Sydney. He is expected to be left out of Henry’s 21-man squad for the Panthers game that will be named today but is desperate to play some role in the Gold Coast’s final rounds.