NRL casualty ward: Kalyn Ponga, Tom Trbojevic, Harry Grant return to ease injury dramas
Despite losing star playmaker Mitchell Pearce and struggling to name a fit 21-man squad this weekend, Newcastle will delay Kalyn Ponga’s return.
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Here comes the cavalry - almost.
Just as a host of NRL guns were set to return and ease the casualty ward chaos, two of the biggest names could be another week away from making their first appearances of 2021.
Despite losing star playmaker Mitchell Pearce and struggling to name a fit 21-man squad this weekend, Newcastle will adopt a cautious approach with star fullback Kalyn Ponga who has yet to take the field since off-season shoulder surgery.
“Hopeful for KP but if he is not right he is not right, I will not rush him,” Adam O’Brien said.
“It is round four.
“Like, this is pretty much carnage for us tonight so I don’t need to add to that by making rash decisions now.”
Meanwhile, Manly is also weighing up whether to give Tom Trbojevic another week to recover from his hamstring injury.
It’s a delicate situation for the winless Sea Eagles, who will get a massive confidence boost when Trbojevic returns.
“There’s not many players like Tom Trbojevic. I don’t want to heap too much pressure on him, but he’s a very special player,” Manly’s Kieran Foran said.
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“I know that he will bring so much to this footy team but he’s also not going to fix 42 points, which is what we have been leaking.
“He’ll certainly help our attack, he’s a great communicator out there.
“He sees things before they happen. As I said, he is a very special footballer and we can’t wait to have him back, I don’t think he’s too far off.”
But a word of warning — if you’re counting on one of these injured superstars to save your club’s season from the jump, think again.
As Brien Seeney of NRL Physio fame explains, it’s not that simple.
“Coming back from those longer term injuries, unless a team is very conservative with a players return to play, which happens very rarely in the NRL, you’re going to get a “softening-up period” between a return to play and a return to performance,” Seeney said.
“We’re only talking about minor measurables but when it comes to as high a level as the NRL those minor differences can make all the difference.
“Say for Kalyn Ponga coming back from a shoulder reconstruction and a rotator cuff repair — that’s six months on the sideline, so it’s six months he’s missed throwing passes, anticipating tackles and contact, those kinds of things.”
Ponga is well-placed for his return given the support of fellow playmakers Mitchell Pearce, Jayden Brailey and Blake Green, who is also making a return from injury after suffering a serious knee injury last year.
While Ponga’s aerobic fitness will be on point, it could take a few weeks for him to get back to 100 per cent.
“It’s the finer aspects of performance — so for Ponga it might be the accuracy of his passes just being a little off because he hasn’t been able to do those movements,” Seeney said.
“For someone coming back from an ACL injury it might be changing direction a little slower than normal, so they wouldn’t be able to break a tackle like they normally would.”
COMEBACK KINGS
VICTOR RADLEY (Roosters)
What’s wrong: Knee (ACL)
Return date: Round 4 (Sunday v Warriors)
Impact: Radley’s comeback against the Warriors could not have come at a better time for the injury-hit Roosters. With Luke Keary gone for the season and Lachlan Lam out for the next month at least, Radley’s playmaking skills in the middle will be crucial in taking the pressure off rookie halfback Sam Walker. Sam Verrills’ return has been pushed back but Radley’s comeback can help stem the tide for the Tricolours.
Greg Alexander says: Verrills will be good and nobody knows when Jake Friend will return and it’ll be a boost when they get them back, but Victor is the man, he’s the one who can help out the halves.
KALYN PONGA (Knights)
What’s wrong: Shoulder
Return date: Round 5-6
Impact: Ponga is Newcastle’s most dynamic attacking player and his return will help ease the creative pressure on Mitchell Pearce. The Knights have plenty of go-forward but haven’t always been able to capitalise on that yardage — with Ponga, Blake Green and several strike outside backs returning they may well become one of the most potent teams in the competition.
Greg Alexander says: They’ve got a few outside backs who are due to return, but Kalyn Ponga is the big one. He’s the player that can score or create a try like few others in the league. He’s a special player when they’ve got the ball, so he’ll make a massive difference.
TOM TRBOJEVIC (Sea Eagles)
What’s wrong: Hamstring
Return date: Round 5-6
Impact: Even if Trbojevic returns in the centres as has been speculated, the confidence-boost he’ll give the Sea Eagles can’t be underestimated. Without him, Manly’s attack has looked listless and lost and his presence should help give them more direction and make them more dangerous, regardless of where he plays.
Greg Alexander says: We’ve all read about how important Tom is to Manly in terms of their winning ratio — their chances improve threefold when he’s on the field, be it at centre or fullback. He just gives them that special player who can turn a game or score a try when needed. They’ll need to do a lot of other things right to have him make any sort of impact but what he does for the side, confidence-wise, is very important.
HARRY GRANT (Storm)
What’s wrong: Knee
Return date: Round 5-6
Impact: Brandon Smith has filled in admirably at hooker but after years spent as a middle forward he’s not as sharp as Grant, who will bring greater clarity and focus to Melbourne’s attack.
Greg Alexander says: What it will do is take Brandon Smith out of dummy half where he’s quite capable, but I think he’s a better middle forward than a dummy half. They get the bonus of getting Harry back, a fantastic No.9, and Brandon back in the middle as a running forward. It’s a double whammy in good terms.
DALE FINUCANE (Storm)
What’s wrong: Calf
Return date: Round 5
Impact: Melbourne’s forward stocks have been stretched thin with Smith’s move to hooker, Finucane’s injury and Felise Kaufusi’s suspension — the Storm have the depth to cover those losses, but bringing back their hard-hitting lock will once again givethem one of the best packs in the competition.
Greg Alexander says: That game against Penrith they were without Papenhuyzen, Finucane and Grant, so they have plenty of guns to comeback in.
SHAUN JOHNSON (Sharks)
What’s wrong: Achilles
Return date: Round 7-8
Impact: Cronulla are playing tough under John Morris but have lacked creativity from their halves. Johnson should alleviate that from the moment he returns — his passing skills on the right edge should help the Sharks score more readily and his goalkicking will be another boost.
Greg Alexander says: I would think that Shaun Johnson, being the type of athlete he is, will recover well and once he’s fit he’ll be ready to go. It’s hard to replace what he did for them last year and they’re playing tough, the Sharks — they just don’t have a player of his class in the side at the moment.
KOTONI STAGGS (Broncos)
What’s wrong: Knee
Return date: Mid-season
Impact: The Broncos flyer is still a way off returning but his comeback will give Brisbane fans a good look at what the future of the club can be. Off-contract at season’s end, Staggs could well spend time at five-eighth before the year is out in a possible look at his future position but even at centre, where he become one of the NRL’s most dangerous players last year, he’ll be a major asset.
Greg Alexander says: Kotoni is a great weapon out on the edges, but playing centre a lot of things need to happen before he makes an impact. But he’s a young, exciting player and had such a great season for them last year even though they went so poorly.
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