Clubs are counting the cost of the first full weekend of NRL trials with Eels winger Haze Dunster confirmed as out for the season after Dragons forward Tyrell Fuimaono’s controversial hip-drop tackle.
Dunster suffered ruptures to his ACL, MCL and PCL knee ligaments in the tackle, which occurred in the 14th minute of the Dragons 26-22 win at CommBank Stadium yesterday afternoon.
St George Illawarra forward is facing a ban of 5-7 games for the incident.
The five-week length is on offer if the Dragons accept the early guilty plea, but Fuimaono’s ban could yet be increased to seven games if the Dragons contest it at the judiciary.
Fuimaono is not helped by his poor prior record, including a five game ban last year for a late, high shot that saw him sent off in Magic Round and Storm fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen miss months with concussion symptoms.
His previous one game ban for a hip drop tackle on Souths back Dane Gagai will also likely cost him.
The ban leaves St George Illawarra missing two of their key back row options for the start of the season, with Josh McGuire – who played the full game in the trial yesterday – already ruled out until Round 6 after copping a ban late last year.
The Eels are already skinny for experience in the outside backs following the departure of winger Blake Ferguson in the off-season and Fijian star Maika Sivo being sidelined until midway through 2022 with a torn ACL.
Haze Dunster will miss the 2022 #NRL season after sustaining a serious knee injury on Sunday ????
Wishing Haze a speedy recovery! ????
— NRL (@NRL) February 21, 2022
Raiders recruit Bailey Simonsson is set to fill one wing berth in round one with Sean Russell, Hayze Perham and Solomone Naiduki the main candidates for the other spot with Dunster confirmed out.
“The injury to Haze Dunster is not ideal but it’s footy,” said Eels coach Brad Arthur after the game, before the severity of the injury was confirmed. “There’s not a lot we can do about it. I think he’ll be out for a little while.”
Despite the long ban in the offing at the judiciary, the Fox League commentators didn’t think that it was that bad at the time.
“I actually don’t think that was intentional,” said Braith Anasta on the comms. “I don’t think it was a stereotypical hip-drop (tackle), I don’t think he meant it, he was just trying to get him to the ground. But he has a bad reputation, he has a bad record.”
In better news for the Eels, hooker Reed Mahoney got through his comeback from a long-term shoulder injury and is a certain starter for the round-one clash with Gold Coast.
Syndesmosis injury a concern for Max Feagai. Typical mechanism where foot turns out, but also during hands on testing – pain ++ during external rotation (turn foot to outside), this stresses syndesmosis. Traumatic nature: potential high grade injury/surgery. On crutches post game pic.twitter.com/kU7j3FPZ1d
— NRL PHYSIO (@nrlphysio) February 20, 2022
For the Dragons, centre Max Feagai limped off with an ankle complaint and is now a doubt for Round 1.
Speaking after the game, coach Anthony Griffin said that he was unsure of the extent of the injury, and confirmed that Moses Mbye’s early departure from the game was merely precautionary after a “twitch in his quad”.
In the earlier trials, Canberra prop Peter Hola injured his knee during his first match since switching from the Cowboys, the 32-18 trial win over the Roosters on Friday night. The high-grade medial diagnosis means he will be absent for the first few rounds.
Roosters coach Trent Robinson, after the trial, said five-eighth Luke Keary was not a certain starter for their opening round squad as he finishes his preparations for a return following ACL surgery last year.
Robinson said star fullback James Tedesco would also be rested from the second week of trials.
Broncos duo Ezra Mam (calf) and Te Maire Martin (hamstring) were replaced in their trial draw with the Titans on Saturday night but are not likely to be sidelined for any more than this weekend’s trials.
That likely rules Mam out of the Brisbane shootout for five eighth, with Billy Walters, Tyson Gamble and Albert Kelly now likely to get significant game time against the Cowboys in Mackay next week as coach Kevin Walters seeks to finalise a partner for Adam Reynolds in Round 1.
Reynolds himself will not be risked in the trial, with Walters telling media that, were it a competitive game, the new Broncos captain would be good to go, but would be kept back as a precautionary measure.
On the disciplinary front, Braydon Trindall is scratched from Round 1 for the Sharks after his high shot in their trial.
Trindall was binned in the first ten minutes of their game against the Penrith Panthers for a shoulder to the head of Thomas Jenkins.
The halfback was one of the breakout stars in the Shire last season after impressing that the feeder club, the Newtown Jets, but likely played himself out of contention for the starting five-eighth role alongside Nicho Hynes in Round 1 with an error-strewn performance.
Matt Moylan is all but confirmed to start in the 6 jumper after new coach Craig Fitzgibbon told Fox League that his Round 1 team was ‘pretty close’ to picked, with Trindall slated to take a bench utility role.