The Roosters have been dealt a cruel blow on the eve of the final round and the NRL Finals, with confirmation that towering winger Daniel Tupou is likely to miss a number of weeks after suffering a groin strain in the club’s win over the Melbourne Storm.
Tupou had just scored the first try of the contest when he showed signs of soreness. Though a trainer went out and immediately strapped up the problem area, he came from the field soon after.
Though the usual time frame of recovery for a strain is one or two weeks, according to NRL Physio, Tupou has had a number of groin injuries in the past and it’s unlikely the club will risk rushing him back despite the fact the NRL Finals start in just two weeks.
Tupou has been in a rich vein of form of late, scoring seven tries in his past six appearances to take his career total to 132 tries in just 222 matches. He’s now just seven tries behind Roosters legend Anthony Minichiello’s club record of 139.
It’s a big blow for Tupou, who had enjoyed a two-year spell without significant injury after a syndesmosis issue affected his 2020 campaign. In both 2017 and 2018 he was forced to miss periods of up to six weeks due to recurring groin injuries.
The 31-year-old had also made his return to the State of Origin arena this year as a reward for his excellent form, after missing out on selection in the 2021 series.