NRL: Raiders’ premiership hopes dealt cruel blow with Josh Hodgson’s season-ending injury
Canberra’s cruel run of serious injuries has continued with star hooker Josh Hodgson facing an extended period on the sidelines, but coach Ricky Stuart remains defiant about their title chances.
Ricky Stuart has delivered an emphatic message to anyone willing to write the Raiders off after a season-ending injury to star hooker Josh Hodgson plunged Canberra into the worst injury crisis of his 17-year coaching career.
“I don’t give a shit what you think,’ Stuart said.
“We won’t put our heads down. That I promise.”
The Raiders hopes of another fairytale final’s run took a battering at GIO Stadium when both Hodgson and Bailey Simonson joined the NRL’s longest injury list in what could prove a season-shattering loss to Melbourne Storm.
As brave as it was bruising, the Raiders rallied to fall just six points short after injury and another video-refereeing shocker helped the Melbourne machine to a 20-14 win.
Stuart declared he and his Raiders would not be giving up their premiership dream after Hodgson and Simonsson were added to the club’s casualty ward.
“I have never had an injury list like this but I just asked the boys to keep on turning up with same attitude and desire,” Stuart said. “I just want that effort that we had tonight.”
STORM WARNING
While all doom and gloom for Canberra, Melbourne backed up their epic one-point win over the Roosters by claiming another heavyweight scalp.
Still missing Cameron Munster, Cameron Smith and Ryan Papenhuyzen combined to deliver the win that confirms they are a premiership powerhouse.
“There is a lot of heart in this team,” Bellamy said.
“And a fair bit of fight. We are not playing that good a footy with the ball but they are willing to work hard and with each other. We are showing plenty of grit.”
ANOTHER CLANGER
It was exactly what the NRL didn’t need.
Just six days after a dodgy decision set rugby league alight, the unthinkable happened when Simonsson was sin-binned after another video-referring shocker.
In a call to rival the clanger that cost Manly a chance at a match-levelling shot at goal, Simonsson was given 10-in-the-bin after video referee Ben Galea saw something that everyone else missed.
“We should never have been a man down,” Stuart said. “There is no way. I don’t understand how we use all this technology and money and still get it wrong.”
Appearing to have collided with Josh Addo Carr while attempting to chase a kick, Simonsson was ruled to have taken the Melbourne winger out.
“They got it wrong,” Stuart said. “Like they did against Manly but they will be back in the box next week.”
STRAPPING-GATE
The Storm could be at the centre of another dirty tactics outrage after a first-half treatment time-wasting double.
In what could be seen as Melbourne once again exploiting the rules, two first-half dropouts were delayed when a Storm trainer went on the field to treat Jesse Bromwich.
Giving the Storm more than the 30 seconds allowed to take a goal line restart, Raiders players complained when Bromwich went down for strapping for the second time in the same half.
CANBERRA CRIPLED
The Raiders were plunged into an injury crisis when Hodgson suffered a suspected ACL injury in a horror blow for the club.
The club’s No.1 playmaker, Hodgson left the field clutching at his knee after a twisting tangle with Cameron Smith left him reeling in pain.
Suspected to be an ACL injury, Hodgson’s season could be over.
“It doesn’t look good,” Stuart said. “He has gone for scans but yeah it looks like I have now lost four players for a long time.”
RAIDERS 14 (Tries: Papalii, Cotric, Nicoll-Klokstad & Goals: Croker 1/3) go down to STORM 20 (Tries: Lee, Addo-Carr, Papenhuyzen & Goals: Smith 3/3)
SKIPPER OUT AS BRONCOS SNAP LOSING STREAK
—Peter Badel
Broncos skipper Alex Glenn is facing up to six weeks on the sidelines after a disgraceful dog-shot from Reimis Smith took the gloss off embattled Brisbane’s first win in 113 days on Saturday night at Suncorp Stadium.
It wasn’t pretty, and at times it was downright ugly, but the Broncos ended six weeks of tears, torment and misery with a 26-8 disposal of the Bulldogs that will ease pressure on besieged Broncos coach Anthony Seibold.
But the joy of Brisbane’s first win since the NRL’s COVID return was tempered by the sight of Glenn being carried off in the 54th minute with a knee injury after a needless cannonball tackle from Smith.
Glenn was already well held by the Bulldogs when Smith charged in with a third-man missile tackle which triggered a roar of agony from the Broncos captain. Smith was duly placed on report and is almost certain to be suspended for a play that summed up Canterbury’s poor timing and general ineptitude.
Broncos coach Seibold won’t be doing cartwheels at this victory but the triumph snapped a six-match losing streak and will build Brisbane’s confidence ahead of this Friday night’s away clash against Wests Tigers.
Broncos prop Tevita Pangai Jr was outstanding, scoring a try and having a hand in two with clever late offloads, while winger Jamayne Isaako posted a double as Brisbane saluted for the first time since March 20.
The Broncos remain in the bottom four with six competition points but at least the win moves them clear of the beleaguered Bulldogs, who are dead last with one win.
Buoyed by Pangai Jr and Payne Haas, who ran for 210 metres, Brisbane were never headed, leading 10-4 at half-time before Anthony Milford terrorised Canterbury with his kicking game after the break.
SIXES AND SEVENS
Besieged Broncos halves Milford and Brodie Croft still have work to do on their scrumbase synergy. Croft was just solid, while Milford telegraphed a number of passes to his support runners and while he tried to take the line on a few times, he lacked true conviction to bust the line. But Milford’s kicking game in the second half was excellent. Isaako chased down his pinpoint 40-metre kick to score for a crucial 16-4 lead in the 44th minute.
PANGAI POWER
Pangai Jr provided another dimension to Brisbane’s midfield. The Tongan torpedo was the best player on the park in the first half. He produced six offloads overall and it was his second-phase play which set the platform for Corey Oates’ opening try in the seventh minute. Pangai Jr had a spicy running battle with Canterbury’s British recruit Luke Thompson with the pair colliding heavily several times as they flexed their muscle.
BRITISH BULLDOG
It was a bitter-sweet NRL debut for Bulldogs firebrand Thompson. The former St Helens prop was placed on report in the 37th minute for a shoulder charge on Pangai Jr but that blemish aside, Thompson looks the goods. The 25-year-old made his presence felt with some strong runs. He looks the classic British forward in the mould of Adrian Morley and Sam Burgess _ a no-nonsense hulk who relishes the tough stuff. The Dogs of War DNA will suit him perfectly.
DOGHOUSE
The Bulldogs deserve to win the wooden spoon. They have the worst attack in the league and it showed last night with Canterbury simply clueless in attack. Their backline moves are slow and clunky and they make too many fundamental errors to build any pressure.
Broncos 26 (Tries: Isaako 2, Oates, Pangai Jr, Coates & Goals: Isaako 3/6) defeated Bulldogs 8 (Tries: Meaney, Watene-Zelezniak & Goals: Meaney 0/2) at Suncorp Stadium.
PANTHERS ROOKIE SCORES FOUR TRIES IN DREAM DEBUT
—Michael Carayannis
His teammates have dubbed him the Ferrari and debutant Charlie Staines showed he has wheels to burn capping a dream debut with four tries as the Panthers blew Cronulla off the park 56-24. While the Panthers raced in 26 points in the opening 27 minutes, it was Staines who stole the show. With a handful of his Forbes mates in the crowd, the 19-year-old scored a second half treble having laid on a try and scored one of his own in the opening half.
“I’m very overwhelmed at the moment,” Staines said. “To be playing is a dream come true. It’s all I wanted to do. Scoring four tries helps. I’m loving it. (Coach Ivan Cleary) kept it on the down-low until Thursday. I played SG Ball from the Panthers two years ago but moved back home to Forbes to finish my schooling. I moved up for good last year.”
Staines is only a development contract this year and became the first debutant to score four tries since Jordan Atkins in 2008. Halfback Nathan Cleary explained the Ferrari nickname.
“During pre-season he was one week on and three weeks off,” Cleary laughed. “They kept him in the garage. He is a quiet kid, a great footy player with speed to burn.”
The Sharks crawled their way back to score two first half tries to trail 26-12 at the break.
The victory puts Penrith on top of the premiership ladder having lost just won of their opening nine matches. Cronulla coach John Morris described the Panthers as genuine premiership threats but Ivan Cleary wasn’t so sure.
“Premiership threats would not have let in 24,” Cleary said. “We still have a lot of work to do. We’re just trying to get better. We did enough today. We would have got some confidence out of our attack.
“Today was totally different to any other game we’ve played. We played five out of six that have been tough, grinding type arm-wrestles. Today was the opposite. Things in our game we’re not proud of.”
SHARKS POOR EDGE
For so long Wade Graham has tormented edge defences. This time it was the Cronulla skipper whose left side was exposed badly. All but one of the Panthers five first half tries came as a result of poor defence as Graham, Chad Townsend, Bryson Goodwin and Nene Macdonald struggled. Brent Naden scored the first after just three minutes. Penrith then scored four tries in 13 minutes, with the Sharks not touch the ball for 11 minutes. Morris questioned his team.
“Some blokes have to have a good hard look at themselves how they were pulled apart,” Morris said. “It’s a classic example of not winning the game in the first 20 but losing it. It broke us mentally.
“We knew they were going to come and start fast. They are the type of team that can do that to you.”
INJURY WOES
Andrew Fifita’s troublesome hamstring flared up again with the Sharks prop replaced at halftime and not returning. The Sharks were reduced to 15 early in the second half when impressive interchange player Sifa Talakai came from the field before failing a concussion test. Winger Sione Katoa also failed to finish the game because of concussion.
Morris said Fifita’s injury was a “concern”.
“He felt his hamstring,” Morris said. “We were trying to monitor him. He couldn’t go on.”
TAMOU TROUBLE
Tamou was sin-binned in the second half with 27 minutes left with the Sharks trailing 30-12. Even when down to 12 men though, the Panthers scored through Billy Burns. Cronulla jagged a try three minutes later but struggled to build any momentum. Aaron Woods was also sin-binned late in the game.
THIRD TIME LUCKY
The Panthers were eventually punished for their poor play the balls. They turned possession over three times while attempting to play the ball deep in their own half. Twice it was Josh Mansour and the other skipper James Tamou. It was Mansour’s second offence which resulted in points a few plays later when Shaun Johnson laid on Cronulla’s opening points with a pass to Briton Nikora in the 36th minute. Cronulla punished them for another unforced error after an Api Koroisau forward pass with Blayke Brailey crashing over the try line from dummy half to have the Sharks trailing 26-12 at halftime.
TOUCHING TIMES
Macdonald hadn’t played since April 12 last year. But his first touch will be one to forget with the Sharks winner spilling the ball.
Sharks 24 (Tries: Nikora, Brailey, Ramien, Macdonald & Goals: Johnson 4/4) go down to Panthers 56 (Tries: Naden, Martin, Crichton 2, Staines 4, Edwards, Burns & Goals: Cleary 7/11, Crichton 1/1) at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium.
The Daily Telegraph, The Courier Mail
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