The Sydney Roosters proceed to be stricken by accidents as their preparations for spherical one suffered a significant setback in a dismal pre-season defeat to the Sea Eagles on Friday evening.
Manly scored 5 unanswered tries earlier than the Roosters lastly bought on the scoreboard within the last quarter-hour, with the ultimate rating 28-16 in Gosford.
But the Roosters suffered one more damage blow with Joseph Suaalii lasting simply 18 minutes earlier than copping a head knock whereas trying a deal with. The 19-year-old failed a subsequent concussion check and was not capable of return.
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“He was OK, I saw him briefly after the game and asked him how he was. He said ‘sweet’ but he couldn’t return,” Roosters coach Trent Robinson mentioned.
“He’s been going great out there at left centre, but we got to see all [of 18 minutes].
“It would have been great to see him last week and this week get more time there, but he’s looked very comfortable in the pre-season. We have to do it against an opposition now.
“He’s had to learn some different traits there. Obviously playing on the right side, he has a right-arm carry, but his ability to play both sides of the ball, which he had to do at fullback at the World Cup [with Samoa], his quality allows him to move to whichever side.”
Suaalii might want to move concussion protocols with the intention to characteristic in Round 1, however Robinson was assured that skilled prop Jared Waerea-Hargreaves (decrease again) and Sam Walker (Covid-19) can be high-quality to play the historic opening-round conflict in opposition to the Dolphins on March 5. Robinson mentioned Waerea-Hargreaves may have performed in opposition to Manly however “didn’t have the miles on the legs”.
However, Robinson wasn’t practically as assured on the fortunes of Joey Manu, who copped a facial fracture whereas coaching in Queenstown on the outset of this month. The NZ worldwide had wanted plenty of steel plates and bolts when he was injured in a horror conflict with Latrell Mitchell in late 2021, however Robinson was glad to disclose the star man didn’t require the insertion of plates into his face this time round.
“He’s not definitely back [for Round 1],” the coach mentioned.
“It was four weeks with that, which will be close. Four weeks will be Round 1 from when he did it. It will be doctor’s advice and another scan to see if he’s going to be right. I’m not trying to downplay it – he will be touch and go for Round 1.
“There is no plate in there, which is a positive as far as the severity of it, but it was enough to get a bit of a crack in there.”
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Manu isn’t the one star battling a facial damage, with Luke Keary additionally doubtful for spherical one after a knock to the jaw in coaching.
Robinson emphasised that Keary had not suffered a concussion – which he has battled on a number of events up to now – however the Roosters have been taking a ‘cautious’ strategy to his comeback.
“He’s good. We want to be quite cautious, we have time at the moment, and if we rush it back, we don’t want to extend that time off,” Robinson defined.
“We’re taking it slow to start with because we want to make sure he’s right for Round 1.”
Source web site: www.foxsports.com.au
