Josh Addo-Carr has been cleared of a fracture in his right shoulder, with scans instead showing Canterbury’s star winger has suffered significant soft-tissue damage.
Addo-Carr was rushed for scans on Saturday night after leaving CommBank Stadium with his arm in a brace following the Bulldogs’ 26-8 loss to Parramatta.
Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo had admitted after the game that he feared Addo-Carr had “broken something”, which would have meant a lengthy lay-off.
But those fears have since been allayed, and while Addo-Carr will spend some time on the sidelines, the injury is unlikely to ruin the first half of his season.
“Josh Addo-Carr has been cleared of any fracture,” Bulldogs general manager Phil Gould said. “He has a significant soft-tissue injury.
“They haven’t suggested a return-to-play date yet, but I’m told overall that is good news.”
Canterbury also received further good news on Sunday, with Viliame Kikau able to escape with a fine for dangerous contact on a kicking Dylan Brown.
Connor Tracey looms as the man most likely to fill Addo-Carr’s boots in Canterbury’s backline for however long the winger is sidelined.
Their most likely option would be to bring the former Cronulla utility on to the left wing, allowing Jacob Kiraz to stay at right centre.
Another option would be to hand Bronson Xerri his first NRL game since 2019, having served his four-year ban for performance-enhancing drugs.
“Connor Tracey was our 18th man tonight and he’s ready to go,” Ciraldo said on Saturday night. “We’ve got a couple of guys there in reserve grade as well.
“It’s not ideal losing players, but we’re prepared for it.”
Addo-Carr was hurt in the seventh minute in a tackle from Bryce Cartwright, but played on until halftime in clear discomfort.
But Ciraldo said there had been no need to remove the NSW State of Origin winger from the field early.
“I didn’t know it was that bad until halftime,” Ciraldo said. “You’ve got to play injured sometimes. Everyone out there has played with injuries, and some are worse than others.
“For ‘Foxx’ to be able to get through to halftime is a massive testament to his courage and him putting the team first and setting a great example for the rest of the team.”
The Bulldogs spent most of the match on the back foot, courageously defending their line for almost the entire first half before scoring two late tries.
“I couldn’t have been prouder of them. We were really tough, gritty,” Ciraldo said. “Killed ourselves at times with errors and penalties. I was really happy with the pre-season, the way they’ve come together, how hard they’ve worked.
“We’re always going to be a little bit clunky in attack to start the season with a new team and new systems.
“Our attack will get better every week.”
© AAP
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