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Newcastle are counting the cost of their Sunday win over the Warriors with co-captain Jayden Brailey confirmed to have ruptured his ACL in the 34-24 victory.
It is his second such injury, having torn the ligament on the same knee in 2020, and comes on the back of an Achilles tear in preseason of 2022 that ruled him out of most of the Knights’ campaign.
Brailey limped off in the second half against the Warriors, but initial fears were that it was a meniscus problem rather than a season-ending ACL. Unfortunately for the hooker, it was later confirmed as an ACL tear as well as a meniscus tear.
The news leaves Newcastle without both of their co-captains: Brailey is now done for the year, and Kalyn Ponga has been sidelined with concussion problems since Round 2. He is expected to return in Round 8, but the club will have to find a new captain for this weekend’s clash with Penrith.
Brailey opened up on his injury nightmare last year in an interview with Athlete’s Voice, reflecting on the double blow he suffered in 2020 and then 2022.
“Sometimes you do all the right things but the unexpected pops up when you’re in the wrong place at the wrong time,” he said.
“You learn pretty quickly how important it is to put your health first – because you never know what could happen.
“My biggest battle is the mental stuff with injury. I find getting back from the physical stuff pretty straightforward, like being diligent with nailing everything in the gym and doing all my recovery work.
Putting my mental health first when I’m recovering is key. You can drive yourself mad if you’re not keeping yourself occupied. Even when I retire, these healthy habits that I’ve developed as a footy player are the kind of things I want to be doing for the rest of my life. “
The pressure mounting on Anthony Griffin with St George Illawarra checking in with three prospective candidates for the coaching job next year.
Dragons officials have met with high-profile agent George Mimis about his clients, Jason Ryles, Ben Hornby and Des Hasler, to gauge their interest about taking on the role next year, according to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald.
No formal discussions or offers have been made but the Dragons are exploring their options before making a call on whether Griffin remains at the helm beyond the end of his contract this season.
Ryles is considered the frontrunner for the gig after serving a lengthy apprenticeship under Craig Bellamy at the Storm, Eddie Jones in the English rugby set-up and is now plying his trade at the Roosters as an assistant to Trent Robinson.
Hornby was part of the coaching staff at the Dragons under Paul McGregor before switching to Souths the past two years under Jason Demetriou.
Dragons coach Anthony Griffin. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
Hasler was sacked by Manly last year and could be an option if the Dragons want to go with another experienced mentor.
Dean Young, who played alongside Hornby in the club’s 2010 premiership win, is also in the running after serving as an interim at the Dragons and building his coaching resume at the Cowboys over the past three seasons.
The Dragons look like they’re on track for another underwhelming season after winning just two of their first five matches, including a narrow loss to the Titans on the Gold Coast on Sunday.
Griffin has consistently said he is not bothered by the speculation about his future.
“It doesn’t weigh on me at all. It’s got nothing to do with me,” he said.
Coach Tim Sheens joked he was living in a nightmare after Wests Tigers’ latest defeat before insisting there are positives amid their worst-ever start to an NRL season.
In 24 years as a joint venture, the Tigers had never started a season with six consecutive defeats until they fell to Parramatta at Accor Stadium on Easter Monday.
They snapped a five-game slump in the corresponding Easter fixture last season and looked a chance to do the same on Monday night when they cut a 16-point deficit to two in the second-half.
Wests could not land the final blow, though, despite enjoying the bulk of possession and territory.
To make matters worse, centre Brent Naden and five-eighth Adam Doueihi suffered injuries in the loss, the latter facing the possibility of a season-ending third knee reconstruction.
“Ask me tomorrow, when I wake up and realise it wasn’t a dream, or a nightmare,” Sheens said when asked for his reaction post-match.
But despite the historic low and injury concerns, Sheens said the Tigers’ second-half performances proved they were on the right track.
The winless Tigers have outscored their opponents in four of six second halves and beat last year’s grand finalists 16-10 after the break on Monday.
“Overall we’ve been resilient, coming back at them,” Sheens said. “But giving them the start is always the problem.
(Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
Sheens lamented the Tigers’ inability to defuse rival playmakers’ kick games.
All three of the Eels’ first-half tries came from Mitchell Moses grubberkicks, after Brisbane scored three tries against the Tigers in similar fashion last week.
“Three tries from kicks after last week, the kicking efforts by Brisbane, disappoints us. We put a lot of time into it,” Sheens said.
The Tigers are poised for more contemplation of their slow start during their upcoming bye.
“This week coming will be analysing where we’re going, what’s happened in the first six round and where we need to improve,” Sheens said.
“And then come back out fighting again. That’s what the nature of the game is, we’re not going to lay down. There’s still plenty of football to play.”
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