By Michael Chammas and Dan Walsh
Star fullback Jahream Bula set to miss the next month with a hamstring injury, dealing Wests Tigers a blow.
Bula suffered the injury in the last play of the game against the Raiders last week and is set to face an extended period on the sidelines.
Bula pulled up sore after attempting to chase a Jarome Luai grubber in the final seconds of the game.
The news of Bula’s hamstring injury is expected to shift Heath Mason back into the No.1 jersey, opening the door for Latu Fainu to join Jarome Luai in the halves.
Broncos extend Karapani as Dragons circle Cobbo
The Broncos are set to extend the contract of winger Josiah Karapani for a further two seasons, placing an even greater cloud over the future of Selwyn Cobbo.
The Dragons have expressed an interest in luring Cobbo to the club before the June 30 transfer deadline after meeting with him in Wollongong last week.
The Broncos are not keen to let Cobbo go immediately but it is becoming increasingly unlikely he will be at the club beyond the end of this season.
The Dragons are willing to offer Cobbo an 18-month contract. They haven’t made him an offer as yet and want to make sure he is willing to leave Brisbane before tabling him a deal believed to be worth around $600,000 for next year.
The Dragons have also held internal conversations about the future of out-of-sorts winger Tyrell Sloan and are expected to give him permission to explore options at rival clubs despite having another year to run on his deal worth around $500,000.
Rooster out for six weeks after cannonball tackle referees missed
Siua Wong will miss up to six weeks after being the victim of a cannonball tackle that was missed by match-day officials, yet punished by the match review committee with one of the most serious charges of this season.
Scans have confirmed that Wong, who has played every game in the Roosters back-row this season, will miss 4-6 weeks with a MCL tear in his knee after being hit by Karl Lawton on Sunday.
Lawton was not punished on the field in the Roosters 42-8 thrashing of the Cowboys, despite Wong’s injury pausing the game and allowing referee Ashley Klein and Bunker official Chris Butler to review the incident.
The MRC issued Lawton with a grade 3 dangerous contact charge on Monday, the highest possible grading before a player is referred directly to the judiciary.
Lawton is now facing a 2-3 week ban for the third man in contact on Wong depending on his plea to the charge.
Manly prop Tof Sipley is the only player to have received a higher grade charge for his hip drop tackle on Dragons winger Mat Feagai earlier this year. Sipley served a four-match suspension for the tackle that fractured Feagai’s leg.
Scans have cleared Roosters five-eighth Sandon Smith of any damage after he left the field early with a knee injury on Sunday.
The off-contract No.6 is expected to be fit for the Tricolours round 18 clash against Wests Tigers after their third and final bye of the season this weekend.
Elsewhere, Parramatta’s Will Penisini is facing a three-game ban with an early guilty plea to a dangerous throw on Titans forward Beau Fermor. Eels teammate Ryley Smith is facing a 2-3 game ban for his own spear tackle on Phil Sami earlier in the match.
Radley to take month off, Knights playmaker hospitalised by lacerated kidney
Victor Radley is set to take a month off from his latest head knock while Knights livewire Fletcher Sharpe has been hospitalised with a lacerated kidney suffered in Saturday’s last-gasp upset of the Dolphins.
Radley met with a concussion specialist on Friday after his fifth HIA of the season continued a worrying history of head knocks for the Roosters enforcer.
Radley came off following what appeared reasonably innocuous head contact while tackling Newcastle’s Fletcher Hunt in round 14, though actually passed his subsequent HIA.
Roosters medical staff made the call to rule Radley out of the Knights game in any case.
Radley has only failed one HIA this year - when he was knocked out against Brisbane in round one - but has had several concerning concussion incidents over the years, including a 2022 collision that left him convulsing on the turf against Melbourne.
Along with the Roosters round 16 clash against North Queensland and the subsequent bye, Radley is likely to be stood down on July 6 when the Roosters host Wests Tigers.
Victor Radley will miss a month of play for the Roosters.Credit: Getty Images
No return date has been set for Radley at this point but the 27-year-old has been in good spirits at Roosters HQ this week.
“He’s gone through some really good testing with some specialists and he’s on a really clear plan over the next few weeks,” Robinson said.
“He’ll follow the plans of the doctors and he’ll be back when he’s ready to be back.”
Sharpe, meanwhile, has remained in a Perth hospital receiving treatment for a kidney laceration while his teammates travelled home on Sunday.
The rising Knights five-eighth was floored in the 48th minute after an awkward tackle by Jeremy Marshall-King as the pair chased a chip kick by Sharpe.
Sharpe was initially taken off for a HIA but reported abdominal pain to Newcastle medical staff as well, before requiring further treatment at hospital.
He will remain under observation in WA this week, with return to play times for kidney lacerations dependent on the extent of damage.
Several players have returned within 4-6 weeks from similar injuries over the years, with Sharpe’s immediate absence bringing Jackson Hastings back into contention for Saturday’s clash against Canberra. Utility Tyson Gamble also returned from a broken thumb in reserve grade on the weekend.
Michael Chammas and Andrew “Joey” Johns dissect the upcoming NRL round, plus the latest footy news, results and analysis. Sign up for the Sin Bin newsletter.