The Roosters’ worst fears have been confirmed after scans revealed ACL injuries for both halfback Sam Walker and hooker Brandon Smith.
The injuries came on a horror afternoon at Allianz Stadium on Sunday with Victor Radley and Nat Butcher also facing stints on the sidelines.
In a statement released on Monday afternoon, the Roosters confirmed Walker will undergo surgery for an ACL rupture in his left knee.
Smith injured both the MCL and ACL in his right knee in a hip-drop tackle by Elliott Whitehead. The hooker will be placed in a brace, with a decision on surgery to be made in the coming weeks.
“It doesn’t look good for Sammy. It’s tough when you see him go down untouched.”
Radley has been diagnosed with a fractured scapula after a collision in the second half of the loss to the Raiders. The Roosters have left the door ajar for him to return late in the season and he has been sent to see a shoulder specialist.
Finally Butcher has been placed into the NRL’s concussion protocols and will serve a mandatory 11-day stand-down period. He is expected to be fit for the opening week of the finals.
“I’ve got three guys there [Walker, Smith, Radley] all going for scans now. It’s tough when you finish a game and you have carnage like that. It’s really disappointing,” Roosters coach Trent Robinson said post-match.
“It doesn’t look good for Sammy. It’s tough when you see him go down untouched.”
Canberra outside back Jordan Rapana suffered a fractured cheekbone early in the match, with coach Ricky Stuart stating post-game that he has almost certainly played his final match for the Raiders.
Elsewhere, the Broncos will monitor injuries sustained by Kotoni Staggs and Brendan Piakura in their loss to the Dolphins before making a call on their availability for their match against the Storm.
Both players underwent scans after Staggs was unable to make it to halftime, coming off in the 36th minute with a quad issue, while Piakura has sustained damage to his syndesmosis.
