NRL Injury News Round 4: Melbourne’s Jahrome Hughes faces stint on the sideline
Melbourne could be forced into a tricky reshuffle after losing halfback Jahrome Hughes, while the Cowboys desperately need Jason Taumalolo back on the field. GET THE LATEST NRL INJURY NEWS.
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The Storm will be without Jahrome Hughes for 2-3 weeks after he suffered a broken hand in the victory over the Rabbitohs on Friday night.
The halfback was able to finish the game after rolling out of a tackle clutching at his hand in the 1st half, but scans on Saturday unfortunately revealed a fracture.
He will undergo surgery to insert pins/plates, which actually can speed up a return to play. Bone healing usually requires at least 4-6 weeks to occur conservatively, but the use of surgery helps to stabilise the fracture and allow for early range of movement and accelerated rehab.
This can also minimise the risk of complications such as stiffness and muscle wastage, and return to play in some athletes has been achieved within 10 days of surgery.
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Victor Radley will be on a “booze ban” this weekend after suffering an elbow injury in the Roosters big win over the Broncos.
Radley’s arm was caught awkwardly during a tackle causing both his shoulder and elbow to bend to abnormal angles. This can bring concern for an elbow subluxation or ligament sprain, but thankfully the indication since has been that the lock forward avoided major injury.
Roosters captain Boyd Cordner suggested it was nothing more than a “bruised elbow”.
Although Radley appears to have avoided the worst case, he is right to suggest it is in an injured athlete’s best interest to avoid drinking alcohol. Alcohol is known to increase the risk of bleeding and swelling in soft tissue injuries while overall slowing down the healing process.
This increases the recovery time and results in additional time on the sideline.
The Cowboys suffered a big loss this week with Jason Taumalolo not named for Round 4 after scans revealed bone bruising in his knee.
This was quite a surprise after the star lock forward was able to play a significant role for the Cowboys in Round 3, racking up almost 300 run metres and not appearing to limp at all throughout the game.
Bone bruising can sound quite minor, but this isn’t always the case.
There are two common locations bone bruising occurs in the knee:
– Deep (knee joint), usually caused by hyperextension of knee (bones pinch together)
– Shallow (outer surface of bone), usually caused by collision/knee clash (“bone
cork”)
Deep bruising usually requires longer to recover due to increased pain (weight bearing surfaces of the knee) and the risk of complications and articular cartilage loss if a return occurs too soon. Shallow bone bruises (contusions) are more common in contact sports and rarely see players miss more than 1-2 weeks.
There were further blows to the Cowboys forward stocks with Coen Hess (ankle, pre-game) and John Asiata (knee) both coming out of Round 4 with injuries to manage.
Hess was ruled out an hour before the game, with all indications from the Cowboys that the ankle injury is minor and he is expected to return next week.
The news may not be so good for Asiata, who went down just before half time in significant pain during an awkward tackle. The Sharks around him motioned for the referee to stop the game straight away, and while the Cowboys’ interchange forward tried to play on he succumbed to the injury minutes later. The mechanism along with placement of the ice on the lateral side of Asiata’s knee suggested the main concern was for a compression/impact type injury. This can range from a minor bone bruise to a lateral meniscus injury or even a tibial plateau fracture.
John Asiata will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his knee & is expected to miss 4-6 weeks. No clarification on nature of injury but sounding like a meniscus tear considering surgery, recovery time & mechanism of injury
— NRL PHYSIO (@nrlphysio) June 8, 2020
The Cowboys will be hoping scan results come back with positive news.
Unfortunate news for the Raiders and John Bateman this week with news the star forward was to undergo a second round of shoulder surgery.
After reportedly struggling with rehab progress during isolation, Bateman initially had an injection into his shoulder a few weeks ago to try and settle the lingering pain and inflammation.
This was obviously unsuccessful and the most appropriate treatment option was further surgery to help Bateman gain full function of his shoulder.
Operation done and dusted. Let’s get stuck in to this rehab and get back out there Ⳡpic.twitter.com/Ng1gYkKyAs
— John Bateman (@johnbateman1) June 5, 2020
While there has been no surgical details or recovery time provided by the Raiders at this stage, they have indicated the surgery was a success and Bateman will return this season.
In these cases an arthroscopic “clean-out” of the shoulder joint is common, with tendon releases (such as the biceps) sometimes performed if significant inflammation is discovered during arthroscopic examination.
If Bateman did require some combination of these procedures he definitely should be expected to return this season; usual recovery time is 4-10 weeks.
Josh Addo-Carr struggled with what appeared to be a rib cartilage injury for much of the Storm’s clash with the Rabbitohs.
Known as “The Police” injury, as it hurts with every breath you take and every move you make, Addo-Carr will likely require painkilling injections and chest padding over the next few weeks.
Thankfully the Storm indicated he will be fine for Round 5.
The Sea Eagles came out of their loss to the Eels with a few minor injury concerns, with Addin Fonua-Blake (shoulder cork) and Curtis Sironen (knee) both finishing the game in pain. Coach Des Hasler seemed unconcerned post-match and expected both to be available moving forward.
Alex Glenn is aiming to return in Round 6 as he recovers from a deep laceration to his calf. This would be a 3 week return to play after he required surgery to clean out the wound to minimise risk of infection.
Another surprise injury was revealed during the week with the Broncos to be without hooker Jake Turpin for the next 4-6 weeks.
Turpin missed training early in the week with what was initially reported as “knee soreness”, with scans unfortunately revealing a small fracture in his tibia (lower leg bone). Thankfully he has avoided the need for surgery with such a small fracture, with the 4-6 weeks required to allow for adequate bone healing to occur.
Chad Townsend (hamstring) and Andrew Fifita (calf) both missed Round 4 with soft tissue injuries. There had been previous reports of ongoing management of a knee injury and a calf injury for Fifita. Both players are hoping to be available in Round 5 for the Sharks.
Lachlan Burr did not pass progression from HIA protocols earlier in the week and was unavailable for the Warriors. Agnatius Paasi was also unavailable after a concussion against the Dragons.
While each concussion is different and recovery differs from person to person the Warriors are hopeful they will have both players available to face the Cowboys in Round 5.
The Warriors training injuries kept coming, with Jazz Tevaga (soft tissue injury) and Ken Maumalo (hamstring) both suffering setbacks this week. Maumalo is expected to miss at least 3 weeks, while Tevaga is awaiting scans to determine the severity and expected recovery time of his injury.
Kurt Mann greatest injury concern for Knights from today, ankle already swollen ++
— NRL PHYSIO (@nrlphysio) June 7, 2020
By video concern for lateral/low ankle sprain as foot rolls in, if confirmed usually looks worse than it is. If able to avoid fracture usually 1-4 weeks recovery depending on severity of sprain pic.twitter.com/FWn9T2eviH
The Knights will almost certainly lose Kurt Mann for a period after he struggled to finish Sunday’s win over Canberra, after rolling his left ankle late in the game and having the joint swell up. The Knights are already without playmaking utility Connor Watson for at least another five weeks, after he injured his ankle in the round-three draw against Penrith.
Ponga played in the halves for the opening three rounds of 2019 in what was ultimately deemed a doomed experiment before he reverted back to fullback. But coach Adam O’Brien has indicated he could use young gun Tex Hoy at five-eighth if needed, after debuting against the Panthers at fullback with Ponga suspended. Newcastle also have the option of deploying Phoenix Crossland or Mason Lino if they prefer Hoy as a utility.
Ponga copped a head knock in the win and Canberra five-eigth Jack Wighton failed an HIA.
WEEKEND CASUALTY WARD
Kurt Mann (ankle, TBC)
Jack Wighton (Concussion, TBC)
Jahrome Hughes (Hand, 2-3 weeks)
Victor Radley (Elbow, TBC)
Coen Hess (Ankle (Pre-game), TBC)
John Asiata (Knee, 4-6 weeks)
Jason Taumalolo (Ankle (Pre-game), TBC)
John Bateman (Shoulder (Pre-game), 4-10 weeks)
Josh Addo-Carr (Ribs, TBC)
Addin Fonua-Blake (Shoulder, TBC)
Curtis Sironen (Knee, TBC)
Jake Turpin (Tibia (Pre-game), 4-6 weeks)
Chad Townsend (Hamstring (Pre-game) TBC)
Andrew Fifita (Calf (Pre-game) TBC)
FULL CASUALTY WARD
BRISBANE BRONCOS
Jack Bird (ACL, season)
Tevita Pangai (Suspension, Round 6)
Alex Glenn (Leg, Round 6)
Jordan Kahu (Shoulder, Mid-season)
Sean O’Sullivan (ACL, Mid-season)
Keenan Palasia (ACL, Late-season)
Izaia Perese (Stood down)
Jake Turpin (Tibi, 4-6 weeks)
CANTERBURY-BANKSTOWN BULLDOGS
Marcelo Montoya (Hamstring, Round 10)
Chris Smith (Knee, round 11)
Joe Stimson (Shoulder, season)
NORTH QUEENSLAND COWBOYS
Michael Morgan (Shoulder, round 7)
Coen Hess (Ankle, TBC)
John Asiata (Knee, round 8-10)
Jason Taumalolo (Ankle, TBC)
ST GEORGE-ILLAWARRA DRAGONS
Jack de Belin (Stood down)
PARRAMATTA EELS
Nathan Brown (Suspension, round five)
NEWCASTLE KNIGHTS
Lachlan Fitzgibbon (Hamstring, Round 5)
Mitchell Barnett (Shoulder, Round 8-10)
Jayden Brailey (Knee, Season)
Connor Watson (Ankle, round 8-10)
Kurt Mann (Ankle, TBC)
PENRITH PANTHERS
Dylan Edwards (Ankle, Round 5)
Soni Luke (Pectoral, April)
Shaun Blore (ACL, April-May)
Brayden McGrady (ACL, April-May)
Jack Hetherington (Suspension, round 4)
Nathan Cleary (Suspension, round 5)
SOUTH SYDNEY RABBITOHS
Cody Walker (Suspension, round 5)
CANBERRA RAIDERS
Hudson Young (Suspension, Round 6)
John Bateman (Shoulder, round 10-12)
Sebastian Kris (extended leave)
Ryan Sutton (Calf, round 5)
Jack Wighton (Concussion, TBC)
SYDNEY ROOSTERS
Billy Smith (ACL, Season)
Victor Radley (Elbow, TBC)
MANLY SEA EAGLES
Albert Hopoate (Knee, Round 8)
Jack Gosiewski (Back disc infection, Indefinite)
Manase Fainu (Stood down/shoulder, Indefinite)
Addin Fonua-Blake (Shoulder, TBC)
Curtis Sironen (Knee, TBC)
CRONULLA SHARKS
Bronson Xerri (Stood down)
Cameron King (ACL, Season)
Andrew Fifita (Calf, round 5)
Chad Townsend (Hamstring, round 5)
MELBOURNE STORM
Tui Kamikamica (Back, round 5)
Jahrome Hughes (Hand, round 7-8)
GOLD COAST TITANS
AJ Brimson (Back, Indefinite)
Beau Fermor (Knee, Early-to-mid season)
Tyrone Roberts (Ankle, round 5)
Ryan James (ACL, Season)
NEW ZEALAND WARRIORS
Lachlan Burr (Concussion, round 5)
Agnatius Paasi (Suspended, round 5)
Kan Maumalo (Hamstring, round 7)
Taane Milne (ACL, Season)
Jazz Tevaga (Knee, TBC)
Nathaniel Roache (Knee, Mid-season)
Jackson Frei (ACL, Season)
Bunty Afoa (ACL, Season)
Peta Hiku (Ribs, TBC)
WESTS TIGERS
Jacob Liddle (Knee, Indefinite)
Russell Packer (Foot, Indefinite)