Sydney Rooster defeat Newcastle Knights 12-8 after controversial Siua Wong try, Victor Radley suffers another head knock
The immediate playing future of Victor Radley is once again of major concern after a latest head knock in the Roosters’ win over the Knights, a victory clouded by a controversial matchwinning try.
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The immediate playing future of Victor Radley is once again of major concern after suffering another head knock.
The fearless Roosters forward failed his Head Injury Assessment (HIA) after suffering a concussion while making a tackle during his team’s hard-fought win over the Knights in Newcastle on Saturday night.
Radley spun awkwardly out of the collision after attempting a leg’s tackle on Knights fullback Fletcher Hunt in the 34th minute.
The Roosters trainer rushed immediately to Radley, who tried valiantly to retreat into the defensive line.
After being assessed, the 27-year-old was sent from the field for a HIA, before he was then ruled out for the rest of the game.
Earlier this year Fox League commentator Steve Roach questioned Radley’s tackle technique after he suffered a head knock in round one against the Broncos and again in round three against the Warriors.
“It’s got to worry you a little bit about the technique of Victor,’’ Roach said earlier this season.
“He goes in at one hundred miles per hour in every tackle he makes but he’s got to adjust that tackling technique just a little bit.”
Of most concern is the mounting number of head knocks Radley has suffered during his 151-game career.
According to the records of NRL Physio Brian Seeney, Radley has endured seven concussions or failed HIA’s in the past four seasons.
More recently, he has undergone five HIA’s, according to Seeney, and failed two.
Under the NRL’s concussion protocols, Radley will be forced to stand down from playing rugby league for 11-days.
But given their history and care for players who have suffered a similar run of concussions, including former captain’s Boyd Cordner and Jake Friend, the Roosters will undoubtedly treat the latest head knock of Radley’s with extreme caution.
Roosters teammate Mark Nawaqanitawase told Triple M radio
“Obviously he’s been through it a bit, I know the medical staff will look after him,’’ Nawaqanitawase said.
-David Riccio
MATCH REPORT
-Jack Blyth
The Sydney Roosters have jagged a 12-8 win over a depleted Newcastle outfit, however the victory didn’t come without its controversy at McDonald Jones Stadium.
Both sides sizzled during the last Origin-affected round, Newcastle dismantling Penrith just hours before the Roosters put 40 on Cronulla at Central Coast Stadium.
However it was a tale of two halves for Newcastle last weekend against Manly, booed off after trailing 16-0, only to snare a thrilling 26-22 victory in golden point.
Despite only losing one player to Origin duties compared to the Roosters’ five, the Knights lost Fletcher Sharpe to a calf niggle the day before the game, a monster blow on the eve of such an integral clash.
But even if the bookmakers had them installed as massive underdogs, they certainly didn’t know it, crossing for the opener just three minutes into the contest via Dylan Lucas.
Headliners were writing themselves as game geared up, Jackson Hastings recalled for his first game in the top grade since Round 20 last season, while Dom Young ran out in Roosters’ colours for potentially the last time.
After some back and forth between the clubs, Young is expected to rejoin Newcastle on Monday after a subpar 18 months in Bondi.
The lanky Englishman wasn’t a Knight yet though, continually threatening down the right edge outside a dynamic Mark Nawaqanitawase.
Just nine days after being booed off at halftime, Newcastle fans rewarded their side with a standing ovation at the break, just the third time this season the club has held an opposition scoreless in the first-half.
Despite only leading 6-0 at the break, it was an incredible effort from a side fielding just 26 NRL games across their entire bench.
Egan Butcher found himself in the limelight for all the wrong reasons early in the second stanza, firstly bundled into touch by Hastings and Pearce-Paul before being pinged for taking out a chaser minutes later.
James Schiller looked to have pulled his side further in front after an acrobatic effort in corner, however replays found the winger had clearly dropped the footy while leaping through the air.
It proved to be a massive momentum swing for the Chooks, finding their first points just seconds later through a rookie of their own.
A Tedesco offload on halfway saw young prop Salesi Foketi steam roll onto the ball, stepping past Hunt at fullback to barge over for his own first try in the NRL.
The heavens opened up on McDonald Jones Stadium as the Bunker delivered the most controversial decision of the evening, handing a try to Siua Wong.
The Fijian international looked certain to have knocked the ball on in the process of grounding it, only for the Bunker to confirm the edge forward had grounded the footy with his forearm, handing the Chooks their first lead of the match.
Some late scramble handed Newcastle back-to-back sets on the Chook’s line, but couldn’t find the killer blow without the likes of Sharpe and Ponga in their line-up.
The 12-8 win pushes the Roosters back into the top eight for the time being, while Newcastle seem destined to fight it out with the Gold Coast and Parramatta for the dreaded wooden spoon.
TERRIFIC TEDDY A TRIPLE TRY-SAVER
James Tedesco may have been dropped from the NSW Blues set-up last season, but if Dylan Edwards did ever go down, there’s zero doubt on who fills his boots.
The Roosters’ captain was in everything on Saturday night, setting up Foketi’s four-pointer and running over 200 metres yet again for his side, but it was his defence midway through the first-half that stood out.
Short-balls to both Jones and Pearce-Paul left both looking like $1.01 chances to score, only for Tedesco to stop both forwards dead in their tracks just metres before the line. Add in his save on Cogger’s grubber to deny McCarhty a minute later, and it’s a true captains knock.
FLETCHER OUT, FLETCHER UP
You couldn’t blame Newcastle fans for writing their side off after the enigmatic Fletcher Sharpe was ruled with a calf complaint yesterday.
While Sharpe has clearly been Newcastle’s best this year, notching 10 tries, it was his replacement in Fletcher Hunt that made a fist of his first NRL game at the back.
Signing a new deal with the club through the week, Hunt was safe as houses at the back, forced a line dropout early on and attacked everything that came his way.
HASTINGS STANDS TALL IN NRL RETURN
Jackson Hastings’ NRL career looked all but over in Newcastle a few weeks ago, failing to even make the reserves of a side anchored to the bottom of the table.
Having been outcast to NSW Cup since Round 20 last season, the half had almost certainly played his final game for the club, however Hastings made a fist of his first NRL game in 11 months.
The No. 6 ran for just shy of 100 metres and made 26 tackles in his return, reforming his combination with Pearce-Paul and adding a new dimension to Newcastle’s right edge.
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