NRL Casualty Ward: Luke Metcalf injured, Luke Keary to return in Round 1, Ryan Papenhuyzen to miss first 6-8 Rounds
The halves battle at the Warriors is all but over, with a star recruit set for a lengthy stint on the sidelines, after injuring his hamstring at training. See the latest injury news.
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The Warriors have suffered a major halves blow ahead of the season with gun signing Luke Metcalf facing up to two months on the sidelines.
Metcalf was the Warriors best player in their opening trial romp of the Wests Tigers last weekend with the elusive half proving dangerous across the park.
Recruited from the Sharks, Metcalf has suffered a hamstring injury at training on Wednesday and is now almost certain to miss round one.
Early indications ahead of scans scheduled for Thursday night indicate Metcalf could miss between four to eight weeks.
The Warriors host Newcastle on March 3 at Mt Smart Stadium before travelling to Sydney to face the Roosters in round two.
Such was the trial performance of Metcalf, he was expected to place pressure on veteran Shaun Johnson and fellow new-buy Te Maire Martin.
STAR ROOSTER’S RETURN DATE REVEALED
—Brent Read
Sydney Roosters captain James Tedesco has eased concerns over the health of Luke Keary but raised alarm bells among rivals over the impending move of teenage sensation Joseph Suaalii to the centres.
Keary was a late scratching for the Roosters’ opening trial last weekend after copping a blow to the jaw at training and then subsequently left out of the squad for the club’s final trial this weekend as a precautionary measure given his history of head knocks.
Tedesco, however, said he was confident the club’s key playmaker would be fit to start the season against the Dolphins in a fortnight.
“He is fine,” Tedesco said at the pro-am for the TPS Sydney tournament at Boonie Doon Golf Club on Wednesday.
“He obviously had it last week before the first trial he was due to play. He will be fine - he will be ready to go for round one.
“There is no point risking him for a trial. He has had a great pre-season - him and Sammy Walker have been looking so sharp.”
Tedesco acknowledged there was immediate concern around Keary given his recent history of concussion. And he wasn’t the only Roosters player to succumb to a head knock in the pre-season - centre Joey Manu is currently sidelined after fracturing his cheekbone.
“You are going to have those knocks,” he said.
“As long as it wasn’t serious and he wasn’t having any bad headaches or repercussions, he will be fine. I guess there is no point throwing him into a trial. Get him right, a few weeks off.
“Everyone goes so hard. They (Keary and Manu) were both accidental things. It wasn’t about someone taking each other’s heads off.”
While Keary and Manu have been wrapped in cotton wool in the trials, Suaalii will be front and centre on Friday night as he steps up his shift to the centres against Manly.
Suaalii is off contract at the end of the season and has been linked with a big-money switch to rugby union, where ARU powerbrokers are armed with a hefty war chest and have identified the teenager as a potential target.
His future could yet be linked with Tedesco. There were reports recently that Tedesco’s people reached out to the club about a contract extension and the Roosters captain said he was keen to keep playing beyond 2024, when his current deal expires.
That would mean Suaalii biding his time to play his preferred position at fullback.
“I think every team wants Joseph in their team,” Tedesco said.
“It is probably a rough time for him - there is a lot of external media asking him about rugby union and re-signing. I have always been there to support Joseph if he wants a chat.
“He is an incredible athlete, he is only going to get better and better. He has such a good head on his shoulders. We obviously want him to stay.
“He is going to be awesome for us. I don’t think I need to persuade him or convince him to stay. It is totally his call. I am pretty close to Suaalii - if he needs someone to talk to, I am always there for him.
“At the end of the day it is his decision.”
Tedesco expects Suaalii’s shift to the centres to add another dimension to the Roosters attack.
“He can do anything - he has the world is at his feet,” Tedesco said.
“He has been training at centre for us and looking outstanding - just another weapon for us in the backline. It’s exciting to have one Joey on one side and the other Joey (Manu) on the other.
“He played in the World Cup at fullback, he loves playing fullback. I think (centre) is more about him getting his hands on the ball as much as anything.
“I think once he nails that he will feel comfortable roaming and getting his hands on the ball more. A guy like him, he is just going to be more involved.”
SHOCK BLOW: STORM REVEALS INJURED STAR’S RETURN DATE
—Paul Crawley
The Melbourne Storm have confirmed they will be without superstar Ryan Papenhuyzen for the first six to eight weeks of the competition, as another young gun puts his hand up to challenge Nick Meaney for the vacant fullback spot.
But the extended absence of Papenhuyzen will still come as a huge shock to many, and is a double blow for the Storm after confirmation they will also be without powerhouse centre Justin Olam for the first few rounds.
After suffering a broken arm in the weekend’s trial against the Sydney Roosters, Olam is now expected to need six weeks to recover from his surgery.
But while Meaney is as good as locked in to play in the No.1 jersey until Papenhuyzen returns, the Storm have also unearthed a potential X-factor in Craig Bellamy’s plans this year in Victorian produced gun Su’a Fa’alogo who really impressed in the Sunday’s trial.
Fa’alogo won the club’s 2022 feeder club player of the year and showed on the weekend that the hype around him is not exaggerated, with footwork and speed reminiscent of a young Roger Tuivasa-Sheck.
Fox Sports Stats show Fa’alogo had nine runs for 205m against the Roosters, which included a try, four tackle busts and three line breaks.
Like a lot of young footballers across the game, Fa’alogo’s development has suffered somewhat in recent years amid the Covid disruptions.
But his development has still reached a point where he was still considered close to getting an NRL start towards the end of last year, an he now looks every bit a star on the rise.
Even though Fa’alogo is not yet in the Storm’s top 30 squad, he has certainly announced himself as a player to watch with the question mark hanging over Papenhuyzen’s recovery at this point.
While the Storm are not concerned about Papenhuyzen’s long term health, the fact is they are playing it safe and not expected to rush him back for the early rounds.
Papenhuyzen was sent to the United States in January to get specialist help from Bill Knowles, the same renowned high performance conditioner who helped fellow NRL stars Latrell Mitchell and Tom Trbojevic recover from their hamstring injuries.
Meaney is expected to play fullback in the Storm’s final trial when they take on the Warriors in Christchurch on Saturday.
In respect to the Storm’s options for centres, Marion Seve also has injury issues and won’t play this weekend and is in doubt for round one.
That leaves Reimis Smith, Young Tonumaipea and Grant Anderson as the most likely centre options, although Meaney covers every backline position and could easily be called on if needed.
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