SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – MARCH 21: Sitili Tupouniua of the Roosters is tackled by Joseph Leilua of the Wests Tigers during the round two NRL match between the Wests Tigers and the Sydney Roosters at Campbelltown Sports Stadium, on March 21, 2021, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
The Sydney Roosters are no stranger to major injury problems.
2021 saw the club battle one of the most unprecedented runs of injury in the game’s history, with what was essentially their B team still managing to take the club to a fifth-placed finish and into the finals.
They will have to do things from a lower position yesterday, but after running up 50 points on the St George Illawarra Dragons at Gosford on Saturday afternoon, the immediate cause for concern won’t be their ladder position, where they still sit outside the NRL’s top eight.
It will rather be on the injury front, with Billy Smith and Sitili Tupouniua both suspected to have suffered ACL injuries which will end their seasons and put them in doubt for the commencement of the 2023 campaign, while Siosiua Taukeiaho is also believed to have suffered a fractured eye socket which will rule him out for a number of weeks, althoughthe veteran prop, bound for the Catalan Dragons next year, should still be able to return this year.
While Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and Luke Keary are due to return next week, which should replace the two ACL injuries with Joseph Manu – who was phenomenal at five-eighth yesterday – moving back to the centres, and Nat Butcher will likely take an increased role in the second row for the back end of the season, it was Manu himself who attempted to allay concerns after the game.
“We’ve had a bit of practice,” Manu said.
“It’s unfortunate how we end up in these positions but I think ‘Robbo’ (coach Trent Robinson) drills into us each week that it doesn’t matter who’s putting on that jersey.”
Matt Lodge’s arrival at the club now seems more important than ever thanks to the injury to Taukeiaho after he made his debut yesterday, while the experience many of their young players gained last year but hasn’t been put to use consistently this year could come invaluable.
The club also have the likes of Kevin Naiqama, Lachlan Lam and Adam Keighran struggling to break into the 17.
Captain James Tedesco, who backed up just three days after a dramatic State of Origin decider, said the club had plenty of depth and wasn’t worried about their push to the finals.
“We’ve got some really good depth,” he said.
“Whoever comes in will do a great job for us. It’s part of footy, those serious injuries, so we’ve got to adapt to that.”
The Roosters have been one of the season’s major under-performers, but yesterday’s win moves them to ninth spot on the premiership table, just one game out of finals contention.
Source:: ZeroTackle
