NRL 2022: Trent Robinson confident Luke Keary’s career not in jeopardy after latest concussion
Roosters coach Trent Robinson is confident his star playmaker Luke Keary will recover from his latest concussion setback - he’s just not sure when that will be.
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The Sydney Roosters are confident Luke Keary’s long-term playing future is not in jeopardy despite the latest concussion setback sidelining the premiership-winning playmaker indefinitely.
Coach Trent Robinson did not give a return date for Keary, who hasn’t played since an innocuous head knock in round 14, but said any talk of a medical retirement was premature.
“No, I am not concerned about his long-term playing future,” Robinson said.
“I’m confident from my discussions with Luke and the types of symptoms — I’ve obviously seen some different ones — I’m not as concerned about Luke.”
Keary copped a hit to the back of the head by a stray knee from teammate Joey Manu in the game against Melbourne and has since suffered headaches, a delayed symptom of concussion.
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The 30-year-old had previously had five concussions over 14 months between January 2018 and May 2019.
While Keary won’t be rushed back, Robinson is hopeful of having the five-eighth for the run into the finals. The Roosters are ninth on the ladder and fighting to secure a top-eight berth.
“I don’t think it’s hard (to put a return date), he will be back soon,” Robinson said.
“Then symptoms persisted and that gets pushed back.
“What you want to see is an improvement in that, and that has happened so that is really positive. There are always steps towards returning, you just have to keep going through the dates.
“This isn’t his choice, this is the medical choice with Luke around where his symptoms have been at and his progressions at training. Is he going to be able to get out like he has been at training and doing some exercise and then increasing (the load).”
The Roosters are known for their conscientious approach to serious head injury after the club supported co-captain’s Jake Friend and Boyd Cordner through their respective early retirements due to concussion last year.
While Robinson is expecting Keary to return, the coach has a contingency plan in the works, starting with the decision to play versatile outside back Manu in the halves against reigning premiers Penrith on Friday night.
Drew Hutchison was named to partner Sam Walker in the halves on Tuesday but Manu, who covered for Keary when he left the field against the Storm, will play at five-eighth at Bluebet Stadium. Paul Momirovski will fill the centre spot vacated by Manu.
“Obviously with Luke being out, Drewy (Hutchison) has played a role there for us most of the year but I just want to get those guys touching the ball as much as possible,” Robinson said.
“We were close last game (against Parramatta) and we discussed it at length, especially because he (Manu) was there in the Melbourne game, he went to five-eighth and had a really good impact, he’s played there before for us so we decided to get him out there.”
A strong showing against the Panthers could see the New Zealand international in the halves role, ahead of Hutchison, while Keary is recovering from concussion.
“What a great choice, we want players blitzing it, we want players going after the game and putting those choices back to coaches which is a good spot to be in,” Robinson said.
“I want to allow those guys to come out and play and it will come back to me on the back end of it.”
Inside the meeting which sealed shock signing
-Brent Read
Sydney Roosters coach Trent Robinson sat down with Matt Lodge on Sunday afternoon for a deep and meaningful.
Before the Roosters went down the path of signing Lodge, Robinson wanted to look into the front rower’s eyes and get a feel for what he was getting himself into.
The pair spent about 90 minutes together at Roosters central, long enough for Robinson to know that signing Lodge was in the best interests of his football club.
Robinson is no fool. Arguably no coach has been as successful over the past decade and that success owes much to Robinson’s ability to sort the wheat from the chaff when it comes to footballers.
Robinson wouldn’t take a punt on Lodge if he thought it risked being detrimental to his football club. He can see the upside in recruiting a footballer who remains a divisive figure for rugby league fans.
There will be backlash - there always is with Lodge - but the Roosters clearly believe it is worth the risk.
Lodge will always be shadowed by his past, an incident in New York seven years ago colouring much of the conversation when it comes to the Roosters newest recruit.
While not diminishing the past, what that overlooks is the man Lodge has become. He is a doting father to two young children. He has sworn off alcohol.
Any spare time he gets is spent casting a rod on Sydney’s northern beaches, where he and his young family have bought a home. Lodge has realised that you can’t find trouble on the back of a tinnie.
Yes, he has departed his past two clubs in contentious circumstances but in both cases, only after they attempted to keep him. At one point, former Broncos coach Anthony Seibold wanted to make Lodge captain. Even after Seibold was gone, Broncos officials asked him to stay.
At the Warriors, he was offered a long-term contract extension but opted to exit with a hefty payout lining his pocket. He is demanding and drives standards, personality traits that sometimes caused disruption at the Broncos and Warriors.
The difference is that both those clubs mired in mediocrity and it drove Lodge to distraction as he tried to lift the standards. That won’t be necessary at the Roosters.
Lodge yearned to play for a contender and he will do just that under Robinson. The deal is initially only for this year but there is every chance if Lodge plays like he can, it will be extended.
The Roosters need front rowers - Siosiua Taukeiaho will leave at the end of the season and Jared Waerea-Hargreaves is closer to the end of his career than the beginning - and Lodge is elite on his day.
It’s why Parramatta and Melbourne were among the clubs who inquired about Lodge after his departure from the Warriors. They tested the waters only for the Roosters to step up their chase last week.
Perhaps we should have seen this coming. Only a few days ago, Matt Lodge posted a picture on social media of his oldest son making his junior rugby league bow on Sydney’s northern beaches.
The jersey was a replica of the Roosters.
Twist in Lodge’s bombshell Roosters deal
- Phil Rothfield
The Sydney Roosters are on the verge of signing controversial front-row enforcer Matt Lodge for the remainder of the season for around the $100,000 mark in a desperate move to revive their premiership campaign.
Lodge, who quit the New Zealand Warriors in May, will add some much needed firepower to a Roosters forward pack that has struggled for much of the season.
The 27-year-old prop played the first eight games of the year for Warriors but has moved back to Sydney to live on Sydney’s northern beaches.
At this stage the contract is only for the remainder of the year.
The Roosters are hoping he will be fit to play for the final six to eight weeks of the season before the finals. Since quitting the Warriors he has played just one game of second grade rugby union in Brisbane.
The Daily Telegraph revealed it was a heated altercation with Warriors owner Mark Robinson that led to him walking out with a $700,000 golden handshake.
Rivals clubs, including the Parramatta Eels, have been circling Lodge for weeks but have baulked because of the NRL’s ruling that he has to be included in the salary cap at notational value of around $20,000 a game.
The Roosters have enough space in their salary cap following the mid-season departures of Ronald Volkman and Freddy Lussick to the Warriors.
Lodge told The Daily Telegraph two weeks ago he was desperately keen to play NRL again this year.
“I don’t want to play park footy,” he said, “I’ll keep myself as fit as I can and I’ll be ready if there is an opportunity at any of the clubs.”
The Roosters middle forwards have struggled this year with Victor Radley sidelined for six weeks and Jared Waerea-Hargreaves out indefinitely with a hamstring injury.
The club faces a huge task against the Penrith Panthers on Friday night and will have to win six of their remaining nine games (they have a bye) to make the play offs.
Lodge is certainly a boost to their chances.
He is as tough as any front-rower in the competition and is desperate to perform well to earn a new contract in the NRL for next season and beyond.
The move to sign the front-rower for the back-end games is similar to the club bringing in Sonny Bill Williams back in 2020 for five games.
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