NRL 2024: Roosters star Dom Young ruled out of Las Vegas fixture after crusher tackle

The Roosters have lost star winger Dominic Young from the Las Vegas season launch, with the winger now facing surgery after being on the wrong end of a crusher tackle.

The Roosters have lost star winger Dominic Young from the Las Vegas season launch, the victim of a crusher tackle on Saturday against Manly.

Further X-rays and scans on Sunday afternoon revealed Young had suffered ligament damage to his neck in the tackle made by Manly forward Toafofoa Sipley. The injury is so serious it may require surgery.

He would however still be available to return in the early rounds.

It is a huge blow for the NRL because Americans would have loved his spectacular skill and flamboyance.

A try he scored for the Knights last year has been used to promote the game in the U.S

Sipley has been charged with a grade two crusher and faces a three match suspension.

The news on Young withdrawing from Las Vegas is a huge blow for the Roosters.

He was originally cleared of a serious injury after X-rays at Gosford Hospital.

Further examinations revealed the damage to be more severe.

The Roosters said Young – in his first season at Bondi - was taken to hospital as a precaution on Saturday. He walked from the field after the tackle.

Young took to social media on Saturday night to post: “I’m all good. Appreciate all the messages.”

Dom Young in a neck brace.

Post-game, Roosters coach Trent Robinson said: “He’s good, it’s just when you’re dealing with the neck, you want to be precautionary so he’s just gone to the hospital to get a scan.

“He was good in there (the dressing room) talking and sitting up and all that, but they just want to keep it stable just so we know what’s exactly wrong with it.

“But he was in good spirits and he was fine.

“I thought it was accidental and didn’t look good.”

“There was a lot of force at that point.

“I don’t know what their (the referees) thought process is during the trial games…so I don’t really have an opinion on that apart from exactly how it was.

“It wasn’t intentional, but it was a lot of force on his neck.”

The Roosters beat Manly 36-22 in Gosford.

Originally published as NRL 2024: Roosters star Dom Young ruled out of Las Vegas fixture after crusher tackle