Maroons duo ruled out of State of Origin as injury carnage hits Queensland
Injury chaos is wreaking havoc on both NSW and Queensland, with two Maroons stars set to miss the rest of the State of Origin series.
Queensland forwards Tom Gilbert and Jai Arrow have been ruled out of the remainder of the State of Origin series with injury.
Gilbert dislocated his shoulder in the first half of Queensland’s Game I win over NSW last week and played no further part in the game.
Watch the next 6 straight Broncos games (Round 13-20) exclusive to Fox League, available on Kayo Sports. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >
It’s now been confirmed the Dolphins forward will undergo shoulder surgery that is likely to rule him out for the rest of the NRL season.
It means the Dolphins will be without Gilbert, as well as suspended trio Anthony Milford, Jarrod Wallace and Felise Kaufusi for Friday’s game against the Manly Sea Eagles.
Rabbitohs star Arrow had surgery on Monday for a syndesmosis injury that will rule him out for up to two months.
Arrow’s South Sydney teammate Cameron Murray suffered a low grade groin strain in the game against the Gold Coast Titans and is now racing the clock to be fit for NSW for Game II.
The injury news means NSW coach Brad Fittler and his Queensland counterpart Billy Slater have plenty of selection headaches ahead of Game II on Wednesday June 21.
Blues halfback Nathan Cleary will to miss the must-win game and the rest of the series after he suffered a hamstring injury in Penrith’s win over the Dragons on Sunday.
The Panthers halfback pulled up in pain after chasing Dragons speedster Tyrell Sloan.
Penrith released a statement on Monday morning announcing Cleary will be sidelined for six weeks as he recovers.
The club said in a statement: “Scans have revealed the representative halfback will be sidelined for up to six weeks.
“Cleary’s replacement for the Round 15 match against Sydney Roosters will be announced when Panthers coach Ivan Cleary names his squad on Tuesday afternoon.”
It is a hammer blow to NSW, which suddenly needs to find a new No. 7 — and potentially a new five-eighth if Jarome Luai is not seen as a good option to partner whichever player Blues coach Brad Fittler turns to.
Cleary is certain to miss the crucial Game 2 at Suncorp Stadium with the Blues heading into the contest needing to keep the series alive after the Maroons’ victory in Origin I in Adelaide last week.
He would also need a miracle to be fit for the series finale on July 12 in Sydney.
Penrith had earlier said the club was hopeful it was just a “low grade” strain.
Cleary returned to the Panthers bench wearing his puffer jacket, but played no further part in the game and was a forlorn sight as he watched the final minutes of the game.
His injury opens the door for a massive shake-up to the NSW team for Game 2 in Queensland in 16 days’ time.
Broncos halfback Adam Reynolds knows Suncorp Stadium well and could be a worthy replacement in the No. 7, while Nicho Hynes, NSW’s 18th man Matt Burton and even South Sydney’s Cody Walker could be in the mix.
Matty Johns said on Fox League: “The bloke that deserves the chance is Nicho Hynes. He is Dally M medallist, he was (jersey) 14 the other night, wasn’t given an opportunity. He is the obvious.
“What does this mean for Luai? We’re talking about combinations.
“I’ve said it before, I like Cody Walker in the squad, especially with Latrell Mitchell coming back on that left side.”
Ex-NRL star’s impressive heavyweight KO
Alex Leapai Jr, a promising NRL front-rower before making the switch to boxing, has impressed with a dominant knockout.
Tigers players with fitness issues named
The Wests Tigers players who failed fitness tests on day one of pre-season have been named amid John Bateman’s contract issues.
Mundine’s court win after Covid stoush
NRL star turned champion boxer Anthony Mundine has celebrated the end of a years-long legal battle after being found guilty of flouting Covid restrictions.