Sharks forward Tom Hazelton is racing to be fit for his side’s clash with the Storm after suffering a knee injury in the final round win over Manly.
The prop limped away from a tackle and was hampered for a few minutes before he left the field in the 55th minute at 4 Pines Park on Sunday.
He has been named in the Sharks’ extended squad for the qualifying final against Melbourne and will be monitored as the week progresses.
Star fullbacks Ryan Papenhuyzen (leg) and Tom Trbojevic (shoulder) will return for their sides’ finals games while Panthers gun Nathan Cleary is also good to go after three games out with a shoulder injury.
Cleary will steer the Panthers around the park in their qualifying final against the Roosters, who get Dom Young (calf) and Nat Butcher (concussion) back from injury but will be without back-rower Victor Radley, who suffered a fractured scapula against the Raiders in Round 26.
There is good news for the Bulldogs with Matt Burton and Bronson Xerri back on deck and centre Jacob Kiraz expected to overcome a knock to his shoulder in the loss to the Cowboys.
“He thought he heard a pop in his hamstring, I don’t think he’s ever had a major injury before…”
Burton missed Round 27 under the concussion protocols and Xerri was serving a suspension but coach Cameron Ciraldo said he expected all three to play in the club’s first finals match since 216.
Winger Josh Addo-Carr has chosen to stand himself down from the side to travel to Townsville to allow his teammates to focus on the game without the drama surrounding his alleged positive test result for drugs in a roadside test.
Addo-Carr did not want to be a distraction to the team ahead of such a big match.
Eels playmaker Dylan Brown will not require surgery after scans cleared him of a serious knee injury.
There were fears the Kiwis star had suffered a ruptured ACL after he came from the field during Friday night’s 60-26 defeat of Wests Tigers but scans found less damage than first thought.
An Eels statement said Brown did not require surgery and the club’s medical staff were preparing a rehabilitation plan for him.
While Parramatta’s season is over, Brown had been expected to partner with Jahrome Hughes in the halves for the Kiwis in the upcoming Pacific Championships.
Storm fullback Sua Fa’alogo is set to miss the opening weeks of the finals after scans confirmed he had suffered a low-grade hamstring strain during Thursday night’s defeat of the Broncos.
Fa’alogo limped from the field midway through the second half of the 50-12 win at Suncorp Stadium and the Storm reported that he would be sidelined for two-to-three weeks.
“He thought he heard a pop in his hamstring, I don’t think he’s ever had a major injury before, but the medical staff don’t seem to think it’s too bad,” Storm coach Craig Bellamy said after the match.
In other news, Cowboys prop Jordan McLean is back on deck after sitting out his team’s regular season finale against the Bulldogs with a hamstring injury.
The veteran has managed hamstring concerns through much of the season and coach Todd Payten said his decision was a precautionary measure to ensure he was available for the opening week of the post-season.
Dolphins coach Wayne Bennett has confirmed star forward Thomas Flegler will undergo nerve transfer surgery for a shoulder issue that has kept him out of action since Round 5.
The Maroons representative played just four games this season after suffering the injury in the win over Wests Tigers and while the club were initially hopeful the issue would be minor, it has not responded to rehabilitation treatment.
“I’m not the doctor so I can’t tell you about it, but the nerve hasn’t responded, there’s nothing there, it’s not happening at all,” Bennett said.
“There’s restricted movement, fair bit of pain, so they believe this is an opportunity that they can take and hopefully get it right.
“No guarantees they will, but that’s the risk he’s taken and we’ll see where it goes.”
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