NRL Casualty Ward: Dogs confident in Kiraz; good news for Brown.
Matt Burton, Josh Addo-Carr, and Bronson Xerri will all return to action next week, and centre Jacob Kiraz is expected to recover from a shoulder injury sustained in the loss to the Cowboys.
Burton missed Round 27 due to concussion protocols, Addo-Carr was a late withdrawal with an ankle injury, and Xerri was serving a suspension, but coach Cameron Ciraldo said all three should play in the club’s first finals match since 216.
Kiraz, meanwhile, appeared to be in serious pain as he clutched his shoulder late in the 44-6 loss to the Cowboys, but the coach was confident he would be fine.
Dylan Brown, the Eels’ playmaker, will not need surgery after scans revealed no serious knee injury.
There were fears the Kiwis star had ruptured his ACL after leaving the field during Friday night’s 60-26 defeat of the Wests Tigers, but scans revealed less damage than initially thought.
According to an Eels statement, Brown does not require surgery, and the club’s medical staff is preparing a rehabilitation plan for him.
While Parramatta’s season has ended, Brown was expected to partner Jahrome Hughes in the halves for the Kiwis at the upcoming Pacific Championships.
Fellow Eel Will Penisini suffered a suspected MCL injury midway through the second half, and interim coach Trent Barrett revealed that Clint Gutherson and Kelma Tuilagi were both injured.
Gutherson had ignored broken ribs and a quad injury for three weeks to lead the Eels to back-to-back victories, saving the club from the wooden spoon.
“Kelma played tonight with a broken hand, Gutho has three broken ribs and a torn quad, and he has been carrying that for three weeks,” he explained.
“It’s a credit to him, which is why he’s the captain. Many people do not see that, and if the club did not mean enough to them, they would have turned it down and refused to play.”
Penisini attempted to continue playing after his knee was strapped, but was forced to leave the field with 12 minutes remaining. Tonga officials will be concerned about his fitness for the opening match of the Pacific Championships against Australia on October 18.
Sua Fa’alogo, the Storm’s fullback, will miss the first few weeks of the finals after scans revealed he suffered a low-grade hamstring strain during Thursday night’s loss to the Broncos.
Fa’alogo limped off the field midway through the second half of the Storm’s 50-12 victory at Suncorp Stadium, and the team announced that he would be out for two to three weeks.
“He thought he heard a pop in his hamstring; I don’t believe he’s ever had a major injury before, but the medical staff don’t appear to think it’s too bad,” Storm coach Craig Bellamy said after the game.
The Samoa international started the game in place of the injured Ryan Papenhuyzen, who is expected to return next week.
The Storm won the minor premiership and will host the fourth-placed team on the first weekend of the play-offs, with a victory securing another home game in the grand final qualifier two weeks later.
In other news, Cowboys prop Jordan McLean missed his team’s regular-season finale against the Bulldogs due to a hamstring injury.