NRL Casualty Ward: Search for Danny Levi’s missing teeth; Broncos star Payne Haas cleared
The search is on for missing pearly whites after a Canberra player had his jaw broken, while Brisbane has received a boost ahead of the Battle of Brisbane. Full wrap of injury, judiciary news.
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A thorough search has been launched for Kiwi international Danny Levi’s teeth after the hooker’s jaw was broken early in his contest with the Cronulla Sharks.
A NRL official was given the painstaking duty of searching the field for the missing pearly whites at GIO Stadium on Sunday night.
The incident happened just two minutes into the match, with the Canberra raider forced from the field with a bleeding mouth.
Raiders officials confirmed the suspected break before he was taken to hospital for scans.
BRONCOS STAR PAYNE HAAS CLEARED
The Broncos have received a huge boost with star prop Payne Haas cleared to play in Friday night’s derby blockbuster against the Dolphins.
Haas was placed on report for a high shot on Dragons rival Michael Molo in the 35th minute of Brisbane’s 40-18 slaying of St George Illawarra at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night.
The NSW Origin prop faced a nervous wait, but the NRL’s match review committee has opted against charging Haas - clearing Brisbane’s No.1 prop for a top-of-the-table clash with Wayne Bennett’s Dolphins.
In the wake of Brisbane’s defeat of the Dragons, their third consecutive win, Broncos coach Kevin Walters was confident Haas would escape suspension.
“We heard it (Haas being placed on report) come through on the radio, I’m not too sure what it was for,” Walters said straight after the game.
“I’m pretty sure he will be right, it didn’t appear to be too bad.”
Haas’ clearance is a huge boost for a Broncos side that will bank on his 118kg frame to spearhead a front-row battle with Dolphins enforcer Jesse Bromwich.
Haas was outstanding against the Dragons, charging for 198 metres for 18 runs and producing the late surge in midfield that helped trigger a Broncos avalanche as they posted four tries in the final nine minutes.
Broncos five-eighth Ezra Mam injured his knee following a Dragons try in the first half, but he played strongly in the second half and Walters is confident the classy rookie will be fit for the Dolphins.
BLOW TO KEY TITANS’ RECRUIT
- Travis Meyn
The Gold Coast Titans have been dealt another injury blow with star recruit Sam Verrills to miss at least two months of footy.
Verrills will undergo surgery on Monday after suffering a fractured collarbone in Gold Coast’s round 2 loss to the Dragons.
The former Roosters rake has had a series of collarbone issues, with coach Justin Holbrook confirming he was facing an extended stint on the sidelines.
Verrills is the latest key Titans player to be sidelined long-term.
Backrower Beau Fermor (knee) will miss the entire season and improving prop Jaimin Jolliffe (pec) is out for four months. Winger Jojo Fifita (knee) is also out for six weeks.
The Titans registered their second win of the season with a scrappy 38-34 result against the Storm on Saturday.
They face the struggling Cowboys in Townsville next Saturday before a round 5 bye.
CHOOKS, SOUTHS REELING AS FEUD COMES AT MASSIVE COST
The NRL’s oldest feud has come at a cost with the Roosters and Rabbitohs reeling from suspensions and injury.
In the wake of the Roosters thrilling 20-18 derby victory over South Sydney on Friday night, strike centre Joey Manu has been hit with the prospect of a two match ban following his high shot on South Sydney centre Isaiah Tass.
Manu has been hit with a grade two careless high tackle charge by the NRL match review committee.
The Roosters centre, 26, can accept a one match ban with an early guilty plea.
The Roosters have a bye before facing Parramatta and the Storm.
It was Manu’s hit that sparked a melee that saw he and Rabbitohs forward Michael Chee Kam sin binned.
Chee Kam has been fined for his role in the incident.
Manu came reeling out of the melee with his eye badly swollen, causing immediate fears he had aggravated a fracture suffered in the pre-season.
“He‘s cut open so I’d say he needs some stitches,” Roosters coach Trent Robinson said.
“I am hoping not [a re-fracture], it blew up, but I’m hoping not.”
The Rabbitohs also have serious concerns for their playing stocks with prop forward Shaquai Mitchell undergoing scans on Saturday for a suspected broken foot.
Mitchell, who had been showing terrific progression after three NRL matches, will miss an extended period.
South Sydney officials were hoping that the injury didn‘t include more sinister damage that could lead to as much as three months on the sidelines.
The Rabbitohs forward stocks are an issue for coach Jason Demetriou who also lost Hame Sele after just one minute on Friday night.
Sele was flattened with a category one head knock that ruled him out of the match and subsequently becoming the first player to be stood down for 11-days under the NRL’s new concussion protocols.
Both Sele and Mitchell will be unavailable for South Sydney’s round four clash with an in-form Manly next Saturday night at Accor Stadium.
Demetriou said he would receive some respite with Jacob Host and Daniel Suluka-Fifita available for selection. However, he said Jai Arrow (hamstring) would only play if he was 100 per cent right.
“We’ll give Jai every chance to play, but we also won’t rush the process,’’ Demetriou said.
“We’ll know early in the week.’’
KNIGHTS FORCED TO HIT THE MARKET
Newcastle will search the player market immediately to help fill the $5 million worth of star talent they have sitting on the sidelines.
The news for the depleted Knights took another turn for the worse with fears NSW prop Daniel Saifiti will spend an extended time watching on after he heard “two cracks” in his shoulder during their loss to the Dolphins on Friday night.
Newcastle were sweating on scans for Saifiti but initial fears are that he will join twin brother Jacob with a prolonged period out of the game.
Jacob won’t play until round eight because of his suspension while new recruit Adam Elliott will spend about six weeks on the sidelines after coming back too soon from the groin injury he suffered in his last game for Canberra in 2022.
It is unclear when Kurt Mann (shoulder) will return while Newcastle are liaising with overseas specialists to help aid the recovery of star five-eighth Kalyn Ponga. Newcastle are confident Ponga’s latest concussion won’t keep him on the sidelines long-term.
Newcastle are hopeful Jayden Brailey (concussion) and Jack Johns (ankle) will be back in time to play the Raiders next Sunday after they were forced to blood three debutants on Friday night.
In the short-term, Newcastle are desperately looking to hit the player market as they push to sign a middle player immediately to help ease the burden of their growing casualty ward.
They have tried so far unsuccessfully to entice 2024 recruit Kai Pearce-Paul out from England. There is a forward dearth in NSW Cup at the moment with the likes of Aaron Woods, Morgan Boyle, Billy Magoulias, Kurt De Luis, Tyrell Fuimaono and Ofahiki Ogden among those with first grade experience.
Former NSW forward Nathan Brown would have been on Newcastle’s radar before he linked with the Roosters last week.
Hastings was unable to complete the match after being told to leave the field for a concussion test. He was whacked late by Dolphins veteran Felise Kaufusi. Hastings passed his HIA test but time did not permit his return.
“Not even a percentage of me was concussed,” Hastings said. “There was (no contact with the head). They are looking after players. I respect the fact they are looking after players. It’s a fine line when you know within yourself when you’re not knocked out.
“I would’ve liked to have been on at the end of the game to try win the game. It’s hard for me to comment with how serious the head injury stuff is. It’s frustrating when you know (you’re OK).”
RABBITOH FIRST PLAYER STOOD DOWN UNDER NEW NRL RULE
South Sydney forward Hame Sele will be the first player automatically stood down under the NRL’s new concussion policy after being knocked out in the opening minute of Friday’s nailbiting loss to the Sydney Roosters.
Making his first appearance of the season, Sele got caught in an awkward position trying to tackle Victor Radley and was in trouble immediately with players from both sides showing concern.
Sele laid motionless on the turf for a few minutes before being helped from the field and was eventually ruled to have suffered a category-one concussion.
It means he’ll miss next week’s heavyweight clash with Manly under the NRL’s hastily-introduced rule which states any player showing category-one symptoms must be rested for 11 days.
“As far as I know he’s okay. Hame gets his feet wrong, dips too early and takes one on the head,” Rabbitohs coach Jason Demetriou said.
“But he’s fine. Spoke to him at halftime, he’s okay but we’ll go through the protocols. He’ll miss next week and then see how he pulls up after that.”
He may not be the only player forced to sit next week, with Parramatta forward Jack Murchie also failing a head injury assessment in Thursday’s loss to the Sea Eagles.
Compounding Sele’s absence is a foot injury for teammate Shaquai Mitchell, who limped from the field midway through the second half and left the ground on crutches.
It will be a real test of the Rabbitohs’ forward stocks, having entered the game already without Jacob Host (calf), Jai Arrow (hamstring), Siliva Havili (knee) and Liam Knight (knee).
Host will be available next week, while Arrow is a slight chance.
The Rabbitohs had only just regained the services of starting prop Tevita Tatola, who missed their last-start loss to Penrith due to own concussion.
“(We’re) patching up middles at the moment. We get two back, we lose two, so it is what it is,” Demetriou said.
Their injury concerns added salt into the wound of a second straight defeat for Demetriou, whose side crumbled in the second half against the Roosters before mounting a dramatic comeback that fell short.
South Sydney have a testing couple of months ahead, including two clashes against Melbourne, a return bout with the Panthers, as well as games against the Dolphins and Brisbane.
MANLY STAR ESCAPES BAN AS MURCHIE UNDERGOES TESTS
By Michael Carayannis and David Riccio
Manly prop Tanela Paseka will escape a suspension on a tackle which has left Parramatta’s Jack Murchie the first player to undergo the NRL’s new stringent concussion protocols.
Paseka has been hit with a fine for the grade one tackle on Murchie. The Eels reserve forward came from the field with a suspected broken nose and also failed his HIA.
The category two symptoms means Murchie is the first player to be impacted by the concussion rules brought in by the NRL on Wednesday.
He will need to meet with an independent neurologist if he is to be cleared to play in the grand final rematch against Penrith on Thursday night.
Before it gets to that stage Murchie must be asymptomatic, have suffered fewer than five concussions, not been diagnosed with a brain injury within the previous three months and have no history of prolonged recovery after a previous concussion.
The Eels are also sweating on positive news from back-rower Matt Doorey. Doorey came from the field with a knee injury – on the same right leg where he ruptured his ACL in 2021.
Initial reports are hopeful that Doorey has not torn his ACL.
He will have scans on Friday to determine the extent of the injury.
Five players including Paseka were charged by the match review committee. None will be suspended if they take the early guilty plea and pay a fine. Teammate Josh Aloiai was hit with a grade one crusher tackle while Parramatta players Mitchell Moses, Maika Sivo and Reagan Campbell-Gillard were also charged. Fines range from $750 to $3000.
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