Canberra Raiders playmaker Blake Austin could miss the rest of the NRL season with a hand injury.
In a huge blow for the third-placed Raiders’ premiership aspirations, the five-eighth will undergo surgery on Thursday after suffering the injury during a defensive drill on Wednesday.
“It was a very simple accident and very unfortunate for Blake,” coach Ricky Stuart says. “Sam Williams will come into the team now and we know he’ll do a great job for us.”
Full Raiders statement:
Canberra Raiders Five-Eighth Blake Austin has suffered a hand injury during a defensive training session yesterday.
He will undergo surgery today and will be out for an indefinite period which could be for the rest of the season.
Canberra Raiders Coach Ricky Stuart said the injury would be a challenge for the team, but one they can overcome.
“It was a very simple accident and very unfortunate for Blake,” Ricky Stuart said. “As I said last week we are not a one man team and Sam Williams will come into the team now and we know he’ll do a great job for us.”
“This will challenge us and everybody has to buy in and assist in picking up the slack.”
The Raiders will be making no further comment on Austin’s injury.
Oingo Boingo
Guest
Talk it down all you like , but in a week in week out situation you may be able to plug the hole , but if he's not back for the finals , where every team is good and every team is playing to proceed to the next week , I think then they will be found out by the better coaches , especially after having a couple of weeks to analyse the weaknesses it has created .
Oingo Boingo
Guest
It was a chick waiting at the bus stop , so perhaps he's just a normal young fella , but it's still a nice gesture .
Harry
Guest
Yeah we tend to think of Austin as an attacking player but I think it's in defence where the Raiders will miss him the most. Besides his enthusiasm he's a big body and he rarely falls of a tackle. Sam Williams is a lot smaller and I'd expect opposition teams to run a lot of plays at him, especially close to the line. I'm also a bit worried about the defensive communication between Williams and Leilua - defensive combinations take time to perfect just as attacking combinations do. The Raiders can ad-lib their attack but their defence needs to be organised and settled.
The Barry
Roar Guru
I agree that his attack has been quiet lately but they'll miss him. I've been impressed how he leads the Raiders defensive line and line speed. Like McCullogh for the Broncs and Reynolds for the Dogs.
Geoff from Bruce Stadium
Guest
Soothing words Harry but the Raiders will really miss Austin's running game in my opinion. He just has that X factor where he can make something out of nothing such as quickly stepping and cutting through the defence to score. Austin had had a real mixed bag this season with lots of injuries and the occasional glimpses of form. But he brings a lot to the team with his spirit and enthusiasm. Just hope he can come back in time for the finals.
Harry
Guest
Obviously this is bad news, but I don't think it's the disaster that it would have been last season. Austin's a great player and the Raiders are better with him than without him, but he's taken more of a back seat this year. Sezer is the go-to half for most sets, Hodgson is still there, and the Raiders are less dependant on their halves to create tries than most teams in the competition are. They've still got attacking talent across the board: just look at last week's game against Parramatta, when Hodgson was missing, Austin and Sezer were struggling, and Croker stepped up. Canberra's recent wins over Cronulla and particularly Melbourne - which are the best bench-marks against which to predict the Raiders' involvement in the coming finals series - have been built more on defence than attack, and Sam Williams has enough class and NRL experience to be a more than able replacement for Austin. They'll miss Austin's running game but they've still got a lot going for them.
jamesb
Guest
Perhaps Austin can take a month to recover and be available on preliminary final weekend, as long as Canberra still survives. But yeah.....Bugger
Jara W
Guest
http://www.theroar.com.au/2016/08/24/laurie-daley-backs-canberra-raiders-to-break-premiership-drought/ Yeah thanks for getting involved Laurie.
Geoff from Bruce Stadium
Guest
Think it just hit a pot hole EJ.
Craig
Guest
He is apparently a great bloke. Real shame for him and for the raiders. Wit him out I think they lose a lot.
eagleJack
Roar Guru
Damn, just as I got on the bandwagon
Con Scortis
Roar Guru
It's such a shame for Blake, not only as a player but he is a top human being. I keep hearing incredible stories about the guy. Like on ABC Grandstand a few weeks ago, they said that he was driving to Canberra Stadium and saw a raiders supporter waiting at a bus stop, so he stopped to pick him up and drive him to the ground. Seriously, who does that! Such bad luck for a good bloke.
JOHNY BULLDOG
Roar Rookie
Footy can be so bloody cruel...Mr Gore will be most unhappy!
The Koomz
Guest
Big blow!!!!! Hopefully its not serious
armchair expert
Guest
Buggar. I have been thinking he hasn't been running that well recently anyway. Don't think the hammy has been anywhere near 100%. Hopeful its not season ending but doesn't sound good.
AJL.
Roar Pro
At very least, Sam Williams is a decent backup half. Possibly the best in the NRL. A blow, but not the complete disaster that losing their 6 would be for many teams.
Agent11
Guest
crap... hopefully he's only out for a few weeks. We will need him if we go deep into the finals.
Geoff from Bruce Stadium
Guest
Can I swear? Loudly %^&&*$!!
Branko
Guest
Raiders fans are not allowed to have nice things....