Star playmaker Mitchell Pearce has been ruled out of the Sydney Roosters’ NRL semi final against Canterbury tomorrow night, with his hamstring still plaguing him.
Pearce has sat out the last three games for the Roosters after injuring his hamstring in the minor premiership-deciding clash against the Brisbane Broncos in August.
MORE NRL FINALS:
>> THE STATS THAT MATTER IN WEEK 2
>> WHO WILL WIN THE SEMI-FINALS?
>> ROOSTERS V BULLDOGS PREVIEW
>> COWBOYS V SHARKS PREVIEW
>> EXPERT TIPS
>> HOW TO WATCH NRL FINALS
He has been replaced by Jackson Hastings for the last three games, who will again deputise in Pearce’s absence on Friday night.
Pearce wasn’t missed in the final two regular season games, but Hastings had plenty of traffic run his way against the Melbourne Storm in the first week of the NRL finals, limiting his involvements in attack.
It was a clever piece of coaching from Craig Bellamy.
Hastings, however, did manage to put through a miraculous kick to set up a try for Shaun Kenny-Dowall, and hasn’t let anyone down in the halfback position.
The Roosters will be hoping for an improved performance from their forwards against the combative Dogs’ pack, and will want better finishes to sets from both Hastings and five-eighth James Maloney.
On past showings, the Roosters will still be confident of getting the job done this weekend, despite missing their star half.
Pearce was named to make his comeback to the game this weekend, but he still hasn’t recovered enough to take his place.
Mitchell Pearce has been ruled out of Tomorrow’s SF Match against the Bulldogs, Hastings moves back into the 7. #RiseAgain #Represent
— Sydney Roosters Fans (@SydRoostersNews) September 17, 2015
Reckon you can pick the winning team? Build your own dream team with Draftstars daily fantasy and compete on any match. For great odds on the NRL head on over to PlayUp. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.
The Sydney Roosters have been dealt another major blow with club legend Luke Keary announcing that he will retire from the NRL at the…
Joey Manu insists an All Blacks cap remains a distant goal, even if his impending switch to the 15-player game has experts excited about…
Former NRL star Blake Ferguson has had his contract shockingly terminated by the Kurri Kurri Bulldogs effective immediately, having played just one game for…
It might have been that simple all along. As much as the structures, coaching and roster come under pressure at the Roosters, the solution…
I don’t really get the comparisons between Joey Manu and Sonny Bill Williams. I realise they have the Roosters in common, along with a…
1. Tigers earning their stripes The Tigers played Souths last year when the Bunnies were at their very highest point. Tim Sheens coached them…
