Capewell joins NRL list of all-time bizarre off-field injuries after hurting neck drying himself with a towel

Broncos forward Kurt Capewell has added his name to the list of sports stars who have been injured in unusual circumstances after being ruled out of Thursday night’s Rabbitohs clash when he hurt his neck drying himself with a towel.

The representative back-rower was in serious pain earlier this week and was not seleted in the squad for the Accor Stadium showdown.

Brisbane coach Kevin Walters tried his best to re-enact the innocuous incident when he fronted the media on Wednesday when he simply explained: “He hurt it drying himself with a towel.”

Capewell’s mishap ranks alongside the weirdest in NRL history for strange reasons to miss game time, such as:

• Canterbury forward Greg Eastwood who missed time in 2011 when he hurt his ankle stepping on his son’s Lightning McQueen toy;
• Tom Trbojevic said he injured his hamstring at the start of last year when he slipped over in the bathroom although footage later emerged of the star fullback sprinting on Manly Corso with a fan the night before, which he still denied was when he suffered the tear;
• Raiders star Jack Wighton missing four months after tearing the ligament from the bone in his foot when he fell off a trampoline;
• Legend has it that David Liddiard pulled a back muscle in the early 1990s when he was playing at Manly while brushing his teeth;
• Eels hooker Matt Keating spending a night in hospital and six weeks on the sideline in 2011 when he was bitten by his bulldog Bronx while wrestling in the backyard;
• Panthers halfback Peter Wallace sliced his hands in a fishing accident in 2016 which kept him out of the pre-season trials;
• Kiwi international David Kidwell tripping over his daughter when the toddler got in his way at a barbecue and damaging ligaments in his knee, putting him out for the rest of the 2007 regular season;
• Cowboys veteran Tim Brasher needed a knee reconstruction in 2001 after he fell while trying to clean a ceiling fan;
• Maroons forward Dave Taylor needed his head to be bandaged in Origin camp in 2012 after he fell out of his bed but to be fair, he’s a big human so not every mattress would be able to accommodate him;
• Blues prop Robbie Kearns missing an Origin game in 1999 after breaking his collarbone when he fell from a horse during a bonding session organised by coach Wayne Pearce to keep the team away from their traditional drinking session in camp;
• New Zealand duo Stephen Kearney and Jason Donnelly were hospitalised in 1993 when the first floor of the balcony in their team hotel collapsed and they fell onto a brick footpath. Kearney suffered serious head injuries and Donnelly suffered a broken pelvis;
• Technically it’s an off-field injury – Joey Leilua missed the start of the 2019 preliminary final against Melbourne when nearby fireworks went off as he ran onto AAMI Park and ash lodged under his eyelid

(AAP Image/Action Photographics, Robb Cox)

Walters said Capewell should only miss one game and be back for next week’s Magic Round clash with Manly after moving freely on Wednesday.

His absence, along with form prop Payne Haas (shoulder) will be tough to handle as the sides, both 4-4 this season, fight to stay in the top eight.

Brisbane have leaked just four total points in the second half of their last two games and kept a rattled Souths to just four points in their round one win.

“Kurt’s a big part of our defence, but I’ve been particularly impressed with our right side defence, with Kotoni (Staggs) and Selwyn (Cobbo) and that’s where Souths like to run,” Walters said.

“So we need to be strong there and make sure Jordan Riki and Reyno do a good job (on the left side without Capewell).”

Reynolds had COVID-19 and missed Brisbane’s season-opening upset defeat of his former club, but has been instrumental in the Broncos’ form rebound in the last fortnight.

The Rabbitohs are short-priced favourites to square this season’s ledger in Sydney but the halfback could inspire his new side again.

“His influence over our team has been great and he’s got some knowledge on Souths,” Walters said.

“It’s his first game against his old club, we want to make sure it’s a good performance from all our guys to support him.

“We need to play well for Adam; it’s big for him going back there … it’s a special week for him.

“I’m not concerned about Souths too much … they’ve been a good side for a long time but we’re on the rise, on the move.”

South Sydney will roll out the same starting side that beat Manly last week.

TC Robati will start alongside the returning Pat Carrigan (knee) as Brisbane hunt a third straight win for the first time since 2019.

var request = new XMLHttpRequest();

request.open('POST', '/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php', true); request.setRequestHeader('Content-Type', 'application/x-www-form-urlencoded;'); request.onload = function () { if (this.status >= 200 && this.status