Green light for Blues duo as To’o, Haas resume full training
NSW received a double dose of good news on the injury front with Brian To’o and Payne Haas rejoining the Blues for their final opposed session against the Bulldogs’ Jersey Flegg team on Monday night.
To’o suffered a grade-two lateral ligament tear in his left knee against the Bulldogs last Thursday week, but completed most of Monday’s hit-out.
Front-rower Haas, who received a cortisone injection in his lower back last Monday, warmed up on the sideline at Accor Stadium then completed up to half an hour of grapple and contact work.
Long-serving Blues doctor Nathan Gibbs was relieved – but also unsurprised – that both players had finally been able to rejoin the main group.
“Brian has a grade-two lateral collateral ligament, or LCL tear, and that’s normally anywhere from 10 to 14 to 21-day recovery – Wednesday night will be 13 days from the time he injured it,” Gibbs said.
“He’s progressed as well as we could expect. There was a chance he wouldn’t be right, but at the moment’s he’s very much right.
Brian To’o completed Monday night’s session with the BluesCredit: Wolter Peeters
“The luxury of having Jacob Kiraz, another winger, as 18th man, has given us the time to work with Brian up until game day. He was able to do everything against Canterbury’s under-19s team. He’s a very tough customer. Pending any catastrophes, he’s looking really good.
“As for Payne, he got through about 30 minutes of contact work, including hitting the ground, getting back up, acceleration, deceleration, grapple tackling, all that stuff. He looked very unencumbered. We wanted him to tick that box on Monday night, and he did.”
Gibbs said there would be no need for To’o or Haas – or any Blues player – to receive any painkillers before the decider.
Haas overcame a quad tear and limited preparation to be crowned man of the match in Origin I – Zac Lomax was awarded the player’s player – while To’o picked up the players’ award in Perth after a dodgy hamstring severely hampered his own preparations for game two.
Centre Stephen Crichton is best friends with To’o and backed the powerhouse winger to line up in the decider, while insisting Bulldogs teammate Kiraz was more than ready if needed.
“He’s in the gym right now throwing some tin around, and it’s about time,” Crichton said of To’o.
“I feel like ‘Bizza’ will do everything possible, and if Kiraz gets his opportunity, he’s done a lot of work, and I’d back him 100 per cent to get the job done as well.”
Crichton will mark mature-aged Queensland debutant Gehamat Shibasaki in the centres, and went as far to label him “the form centre of the comp”.
“He’s played some really good footy, he’s there [wearing Maroon] for a reason, and he’s been the form centre of the year – it will be a massive challenge for myself and my edge,” Crichton said.
Meanwhile, Blues back-rower Hudson Young was glad to see Raiders’ teammate Josh Papali’i recalled for the Maroons.
Asked if the Super League-bound 33-year-old had any weaknesses, Young said: “His haircut. He’s been one of the best front-rowers in the game for a long time. [But] I’ll get him.”
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