Unfortunately, Mitchell Pearce and John Asiata suffered pectoral ruptures in Rd 7. Both had surgery last week, and luckily avoided any damage to their shoulder joints. Despite initial reports of a 16-week return to play, I would expect a recovery in the 10-14 week range
Mixed news for Josh McGuire - no damage to previously repaired Achilles tendon, but there is a tear in the "anterior ligament" (another way of saying high ankle sprain). Luckily surgery is not required for McGuire; he will be aiming for a 4-6 week return to play. Means Origin 1 will be touch and go for him
Horrible to see Lachlan Croker suffer an ACL rupture, will require surgery and 6-9 months recovery. Really tough to see his 3rd ACL injury. An ACL rupture occurs when the tibia (shin bone) shifts forward/rotates on the femur (thigh bone) causing ACL to rupture. Can, unfortunately, see this happen in Lachlan Croker’s knee. Test by trainer examines the amount of forward movement the tibia has (if significant/knee is “loose”, ACL likely ruptured). Wish him the very best for surgery and recovery
Unfortunately, it has also been confirmed Tony Williams suffered a right ACL rupture last round, his second within 12 months after rupturing his left ACL playing for Tonga last year. Likely surgery and ~ 9 month recovery period ahead, wish him the best
Nathan Brown is aiming for a return this week (Rd9) for @TheParraEels after suffering an ankle sprain a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, he is still struggling to get the swelling down in his ankle so there is a possibility he is still another week away
Curtis Scott’s high ankle sprain is not as bad as first feared, and if he pulls up well tomorrow will be named & given every chance to play this weekend. But much more likely to return next weekend in Rd10
Dylan Edwards dislocated his shoulder & whilst it was relocated quickly he, unfortunately, suffered a labral (cartilage) tear and damage to the humeral head (ball of the ball & socket shoulder joint). He is meeting with a specialist this week to discuss treatment options. Edwards’ likely treatment options are:
Even though the damage sustained to Edwards shoulder joint appears significant, we have seen sometimes that surgery can be put off til off-season (eg Harawira-Naera last season). Each case is different & needs to be treated on an individual basis
Issac Luke is expected to miss 3-4 weeks with a knee injury, no clarification on injury specifics as yet but is likely a minor cartilage injury.
In some good news, it appears Richie Kennar’s scans came back better than expected, and he is only expected to miss 1-2 weeks. A relief for him and @SSFCRABBITOHS after initial reports were a Lisfranc injury & 12+ weeks on the sideline
Andrew McCullough trained with the Broncos yesterday and is pushing to return this week. He has only missed one week after suffering a ligament and tendon injury to his elbow, which was expected to sideline him for 4-6 weeks. Would say chances of him playing this week are questionable, but a return next week looking all but certain
Jack Gosiewski suffered a broken hand in Rd 8. Will require a 4-6 week recovery
Suliasi Vunivalu was ruled out for @storm last week with a low-grade hamstring injury. With the long turnaround, Storm are hoping he will be fit to return in Round 9, but they will take a conservative approach to his return with hamstring strains having a high re-injury rate if not 100%
Is expected to miss another 3 weeks with a calf strain. Likely grade 2 strain with that recovery timeframe
Confirmation of a grade 2 MCL sprain for Jesse Bromwich, is expected to miss 4 weeks. Most grade 2 MCL injuries return to play in the 3-6 week range.
Tim Glasby had surgery on a broken thumb last week, similar to Dale Finucane is expected to miss 4-6 weeks
Nathan Cleary started running on the anti-gravity treadmill 2 weeks ago, hoped to resume field running late last week. Is still aiming for a 7-8 week return to play from his grade 3 MCL injury (Rd10-11)
Leivaha Pulu will be out for 12 weeks (til Rd20) after suffering a foot injury for @NZWarriors 2 weeks ago. No word on injury specifics yet
Jarryd Hayne is expected to miss another 3 weeks with a hip flexor strain suffered in his return game from a similar hip flexor injury. The word from the club is this injury is to a different hip flexor muscle than last time
After a very innocuous injury getting up to play the ball last week, it was confirmed Brad Parker suffered a meniscal (cartilage) tear in his knee. Is expected to miss 4-6 weeks
Josh Hodgson’s rehab from an ACL reconstruction is progressing well. Is still aiming for a return Rd16-18, which would be just over 7 months since the initial injury
James Roberts has been managing a cartilage injury in his knee for the past few weeks. Didn’t look 100% at times during last week’s game, but is an issue he should be able to play through moving forward
Tim Browne has retired after suffering a ruptured bowel earlier this season, an injury more commonly found in rodeo riders. That to go along with a fractured skull & an infection which almost caused him to lose his leg in the past few seasons. Wish him the very best in retirement
If you have Foxtel, check out Andrew Voss’s show “The Fan” Tuesday’s at 7.30pm. I will be making an appearance every couple of weeks to talk through some common injuries that occur in the NRL. As always if you have any questions, throw a comment down below or hit me up on Twitter @nrlphysio or Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nrlphysio/
The opinions given by the author of this article are given by a qualified physiotherapist, HOWEVER they are based on the information available to the author at the time of publication; are general; and are not based on any formal physical assessment and/or diagnosis by the author. If you believe you may be suffering from an injury similar to one commented on by the author, do not rely on the author’s advice as it may not apply to you – see a qualified physiotherapist for a full assessment, diagnosis and treatment plan.