NRL Casualty Ward round 10: Daniel Saifiti, Valentine Holmes facing lengthy stint on sidelines
A NSW Origin star faces an extended break on the sideines with news that his round nine injury is far worse than expected while the bad news keeps coming for the struggling Cowboys.
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The injury carnage continues ahead of Round 10 with Newcastle Knights star front rower Daniel Saifiti’s injury far worse than originally feared.
Forced to leave the field in the second half of the round nine match against the Eels, intitial reports were that the powerhouse prop would miss only 1-2 weeks with a low grade strain of his posterior cruciate ligament.
However, subsequent scans have revealed that the partial tear was more serious and now Saifiti faces up to six weeks on the sideline.
The Knights fear Daniel Saifiti could miss up to 6 weeks with a moderate grade PCL sprain (partial tear) to his knee. Most of this severity result in a 3-5 week to return to play
— NRL PHYSIO (@nrlphysio) July 14, 2020
Valentine Holmes is potentially out for the rest of the regular season after undergoing surgery on his troublesome ankle syndesmosis injury.
In a statement released by the Cowboys Holmes underwent an arthroscopy on his left ankle on Sunday, which revealed the unstable syndesmosis was unstable and required surgery.
The Cowboys believe Valentine will miss the next 8-10 weeks, effectively ruling him out for the remainder of 2020 given the reduced season length unless the Cowboys can make the Top 8.
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Holmes went down injured in Round 5 before spending two weeks on the sidelines, making his return in Round 8 and going down injured once again in Round 9 after being relegated to the wing.
The club’s star playmaker, Scott Drinkwater, is also headed for an extended stint on the sideline after suffering an MCL rupture to his knee in last week’s game.
The pair join club captain Michael Morgan (shoulder) and centre Tom Opacic (knee) in the Cowboys casualty ward.
“Everyone’s disappointed (to lose Holmes and Drinkwater to injury),” Green said.
“It galvanises us a bit more.
“It’s another challenge for us to overcome but we just have to knuckle down and get on with it.”
There is some good news for KFC SuperCoaches however, with the injury set to see young gun Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow remain as the Cowboys fullback going forward.
Valentine Holmes underwent exploratory ankle surgery yesterday which revealed an unstable syndesmosis. This required surgery (likely syndesmosis tightrope repair), he is now expected to miss 8-10 weeks (usually 6-10 weeks). Explains innocuous aggravations from the weekend
— NRL PHYSIO (@nrlphysio) July 14, 2020
Penrith’s Charlie Staines has joined Canterbury’s Jake Averillo in COVID-19 hold after he exceeded rules around the number of visitors he can host at his house.
Current NRL biosecurity protocols stipulate players can host up to 10 visitors at their place of residence each day, however those visitors must attend in groups of no more than five. Staines had his parents, sister, his partner’s parents and four friends stay at his house on the weekend of his incredible NRL debut.
Staines also went to hospital to treat a medical condition without the club’s knowledge and, although That in itself is not a breach, it will now be up to bio security expert to determine whether Staines should leave the bubble for 14 days.
According to the Panthers, Staines suffered a recurrence of lockjaw, a condition which he last suffered during pre-season, in the early hours of Sunday morning and went to the emergency department at Nepean Hospital at 2.30am for treatment before being released.
The Panthers weren’t told of Staines’ early morning hospital visit until later that day, before later learning of the number of visitors that had attended Staines’ place of residence.
“Charlie has been extremely naive on this occasion and inadvertently breached the protocols that are in place to protect the game,” Panthers CEO Brian Fletcher said.
“His misunderstanding of the specifics of the guidelines can not be overlooked, nor can his failure to contact the club before seeking medical treatment for his jaw condition.
“The club and Charlie will now work closely with the NRL to ensure all necessary steps are taken to rectify the situation.”
NRL head of football Graham Annesley said one positive test would put the entire competition at risk.
“There was a very extensive note, authored by our experts, going out to remind them of how serious the situation still is and the need to strictly adhere to the protocols,” he said.
“We did lessen the intensity of the protocols a week or two ago and at this stage there is no need to reimpose those that were losend but it’s an ongoing and developing situation. We act entirely on their advice and if we have to reimpose tougher provision, we’ll do that.
“But at the moment it’s about trying to make sure we don’t get too loose with the existing protocols and that everyone realises it’s a situation that requires constant compliance.
“If we don’t comply and we get any kind of infection within the NRL individual bubbles then that poses a threat to the NRL competition, at least games, if not the competition itself.”
Bulldogs centre Averillo will be unable to train or play until Sunday, July 19 due to his parents visiting COVID-19 hot spot the Crossroads Hotel in Casula on Sunday, July 5, and he lives at home with them.
Averillo will be tested for COVID-19 today after both his parents were tested over the weekend.
The outside back’s parents will now be retested on Sunday, July 19 to receive a clean bill of health, and Averillo will be unable to train or play with the team until that date.
Meanwhil, Parramatta’s rookie prop Stefano Utoikamanu has been cleared to play in round 10 despite breaking the game’s strict biosecurity protocols after the members of the public he contacted were cleared of coronavirus.
Utoikamanu only got on the field in the closing stages of Sunday’s win over Newcastle and was captured celebrating with friends and family after the game.
His playing status is now on hold, meaning he can remain in the team’s bubble but can’t rejoin the squad until the people he touched return a negative result to COVID-19.
If the prop was forced to leave the bubble he would have to isolate for 14 days, meaning he would be forced to sit on the sidelines for an extended period.
Utoikamanu will be hoping this is the case so he can play his second NRL game against Manly at Brookvale Oval on Saturday.
“As always we will be guided by the advice of our medical experts,” said NRL head of football Graham Annesley on the incident.
“We will then be in a position to advise the club and the player of any further action or protocol implications.”
Utoikamanu may miss next week’s clash with Manly if forced to self-isolate.
Meanwhile, the Raiders came away from their clash with the Storm nursing more than just a loss, with captain Josh Hodgson suffering a suspected ACL injury.
After losing Corey Horsburgh (Lisfranc), Sia Soliola (facial fractures), and Emre Guler (ankle fracture) to long term injuries in the past two weeks, the last thing the Green Machine needed was an injury to another player in the middle of the park.
In scenes almost a mirror image of Victor Radley two weeks ago, Hodgson shot up out of the defensive line and was wrong footed. Planting his foot in the turf to change direction, his knee collapsed inwards and as soon as the slow motion replay showed a shift of Hodgson’s tibia (lower leg bone) during this incident, alarm bells were no doubt ringing across the nation’s capital.
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Once in the sheds the medical staff were able to thoroughly assess Hodgson’s knee, and the provisional diagnosis was a suspected ACL injury.
This is always a horrible sign for the player, as the hands on tests that can be performed by the medical staff in the sheds are extremely accurate at identifying injury to the ACL.
MRI scans in the coming days often confirm what the medical staff already suspects/knows. If scans do confirm the worst, Hodgson will likely be facing ACL reconstruction surgery and a six to nine-month recovery period.
With Hodgson’s latest suspected ACL injury (right knee) being opposite to his 2017 ACL rupture (left knee), it is worth noting that those who suffer an ACL injury are actually at increased risk of suffering an ACL injury to the opposite knee in the future (usual rates between 5-20%).
Significant concern for an ACL injury for Josh Hodgson; change of direction, non-contact, knee collapses in & can see tibia (lower leg bone) shift forward during mechanism. Fingers crossed video lies (best case MCL/meniscus) but doesn’t look good #NRLRaidersStorm pic.twitter.com/laDhvhjIF0
— NRL PHYSIO (@nrlphysio) July 11, 2020
There are many proposed reasons as to why this occurs; to start with the inherent non-modifiable factors that increased an athlete’s risk and existed before the first ACL injury will still exist.
Compensation patterns can also develop over time, either favouring the “bad” knee or deconditioning of the “good” knee during the initial rehab. Unfortunately playing a change of direction sport at a high level and speed plays a role, too, with NRL players putting their knees through traumatic incidents on a weekly basis.
The injury toll didn’t stop there for the Raiders, with Bailey Simonsson failing to finish the game after suffering a suspected shoulder subluxation.
A subluxation is a “partial” dislocation of sorts, where the upper arm bone (ball) shifts within the shoulder joint (socket) but doesn’t completely pop out/dislocate.
Bailey Simonsson off with a left shoulder injury, can see him come down heavily on elbow driving force up into shoulder. Brings risk for AC joint (tip of shoulder injury) or shoulder subluxation/dislocation. Best case: minor AC jt sprain & 1-3 weeks recovery, but worrying signs pic.twitter.com/FvbGNxQrFi
— NRL PHYSIO (@nrlphysio) July 11, 2020
While this is obviously less severe than a full dislocation, damage can still be caused to the structures within the shoulder and instability can be present, leaving the player at risk for future dislocations.
If the damage is minor and the shoulder joint itself is still stable, return to play can often be achieved in 2-4 weeks with a rehab program. However less commonly there can still be enough damage or instability to require immediate surgery, which would mean the season is over for the young winger.
The Storm didn’t leave GIO Stadium unscathed, with Jesse Bromwich (MCL sprain) and Tom Eisenhuth (hamstring strain) on the injury list to finish the night.
Whilst both are suspected to be minor in nature, they will be looking at missing at least one to two weeks in a best case scenario.
Jesse Bromwich didn’t return in the second half after suffering a suspected minor (grade 1) MCL sprain. Can see likely mechanism below. If confirmed usual return to play range of 1-3 weeks pic.twitter.com/knnuDDw8kn
— NRL PHYSIO (@nrlphysio) July 11, 2020
Alex Glenn was the victim of one of the nastier tackles in recent memory, with his knee and thigh being forcibly hit from the outside during a three-man tackle causing an inward collapse.
This resulted in a suspected moderate to severe MCL sprain, which best case would see him spend three to four weeks on the sideline.
Thankfully the medical staff are not concerned Glenn may have suffered an ACL injury, and also feel it is unlikely he will require surgery.
Even complete MCL ruptures heal well conservatively (without surgery), and usually require six to 10 weeks recovery.
Andrew Fifita’s 2020 season has again been interrupted by injury.
During the season break the Sharks prop suffered a significant calf strain which kept him out of their opening two games after season resumption.
He will now spend further time on the sideline with a hamstring strain suffered in the Sharks’ heavy Round 9 defeat.
Thankfully he was able to play out the first half after suffering the injury, which would usually suggest it is minor in nature. As always, best case scenario with minor hamstring strains is two to four weeks to return to play.
After two ACL injuries in recent weeks, the Roosters are a team that did not need further bad news on the injury front after Brett Morris was ruled out in the warm up suffering from groin tightness.
Morris initially felt a strain during the week at training, but thankfully since the game has been cleared of any serious damage.
Most minor groin strains are considered day to day, in that recovery can progress significantly with each day that passes. While it’s common for groin strain symptoms to linger and come and go, they rarely result in significant time on the sideline, with most players able to return within one to three weeks.
There were significant fears Liam Knight had suffered an Achilles injury during the warm up for the Rabbitohs on Friday night.
In some rare good news on the injury front, Wayne Bennett indicated post-game the bench forward had only suffered an ankle sprain, and was looking at one to four weeks on the sideline.
Much more positive than a potential Achilles rupture and five plus months recovery.
NRL CASUALTY WARD
Brisbane Broncos
Matt Lodge (knee, round 10)
Alex Glenn (knee, TBC)
Kotoni Staggs (hamstring, round 10)
Jake Turpin (leg, round 10)
Jesse Arthars (knee, round 10-11)
David Fifita (knee, round 10)
Joe Ofahengaue (suspended, round 10)
Jordan Kahu (shoulder, indefinite)
Sean O’Sullivan (knee, indefinite)
Keenan Palasia (knee, indefinite)
Jack Bird (ACL, season)
Canberra Raiders
Josh Hodgson (knee, TBC)
Bailey Simonsson (shoulder, TBC)
Sia Soliola (facial fracture, finals)
Emre Guler (ankle, round 17-19)
Corey Horsburgh (foot, round 20)
John Bateman (shoulder, indefinite)
Sebastian Kris (extended sick leave)
Canterbury Bulldogs
Jake Averillo (COVID stand down, TBC)
Chris Smith (knee, round 10)
Will Hopoate (ankle, round 13-15)
Joe Stimson (shoulder, season)
Adam Elliott (shoulder, season)
Cronulla Sharks
Andrew Fifita (hamstring, TBC)
Siosifa Talakai (head knock, TBC)
Matt Moylan (hamstring, round 12-14)
Ronaldo Mulitalo (knee, round 10)
Bronson Xerri (stood down)
Cameron King (ACL, season)
Gold Coast Titans
Ash Taylor (head knock, TBC)
Mitch Rein (knee, indefinite)
Keegan Hipgrave (shoulder, TBC)
Kevin Proctor (biceps, round 10-11)
Phillip Sami (dislocated shoulder, round 13)
AJ Brimson (back, indefinite)
Young Tonumaipea (knee, indefinite)
Ryan James (knee, season)
Jonus Pearson (pectoral, season)
Manly Sea Eagles
Dylan Walker (ankle, round 13)
Tom Trbojevic (hamstring, round 14-16)
Albert Hopoate (knee, indefinite)
Manase Fainu (stood down/shoulder)
Addin Fonua-Blake (suspended, round 11)
Melbourne Storm
Cameron Munster (knee, round 10)
Ryley Jacks (knee, TBC)
Jesse Bromwich (knee, round 10-11)
Newcastle Knights
Connor Watson (ankle, round 10)
Edrick Lee (arm, indefinite)
Sione Mata’utia (head knock, round 10)
Mitch Barnett (neck, indefinite)
Jayden Brailey (knee, season)
Daniel Sifiti (knee, round 15)
North Queensland Cowboys
Valentine Holmes (ankle, TBC)
Justin O’Neill (head knock, round 10)
Tom Opacic (knee, TBC)
John Asiata (knee, round 10-11)
Michael Morgan (shoulder, indefinite)
Parramatta Eels
Stefano Utoikamanu (COVID stand down, TBC)
Oregon Kaufusi (broken hand, round 13-14)
Ray Stone (broken hand, round 14-15)
Mitchell Moses (calf, round 12-13)
Kane Evans (calf, indefinite)
Peni Terepo (indefinite)
Penrith Panthers
Dean Whare (toe, TBC)
Zane Tetevano (back, TBC)
Brian To’o (ankle, round 17)
Kurt Capewell (knee, round 17)
South Sydney Rabbitohs
Tom Amone (knee, season)
Liam Knight (ankle, TBC)
Braidon Burns (knee, season)
St George Illawarra Dragons
Jacob Host (hamstring, round 10)
Brayden Wiliame (calf, round 10-11)
Jack de Belin (stood down)
Sydney Roosters
Brett Morris (groin, round 10)
Jake Friend (head knock, TBC)
Boyd Cordner (head knock, round 10)
Daniel Tupou (ankle, round 15)
Isaac Liu (broken rib, round 10-11)
Victor Radley (knee, season)
Sam Verrills (knee, season)
Billy Smith (knee, season)
Warriors
Kodi Nikorima (HIA, round 10)
Eliesa Katoa (ankle, round 10)
Adam Keighran (knee, 11-13)
Nathaniel Roache (knee, round 12-14)
Leeson Ah Mau (pectoral, indefinite)
Taane Milne (knee, season)
Jackson Frei (knee, season)
Bunty Afoa (knee, season)
Selestino Ravutaumada (season)
Wests Tigers
Joey Leilua (suspended, round 13)
Sam McIntyre (concussion, round 10)
Alex Twal (knee, round 10-11)
Jacob Liddle (knee, round 14-15)
Zane Musgrove (foot, round 16-18)
Robert Jennings (hamstring, indefinite)