Ryan Papenhuyzen's return for the NRL finals couldn't have come at a better time for the Storm after they were rocked with the injury of Sua Fa'alogo on Thursday night, while Eliesa Katoa was placed on report and faces a potential two-game ban. The Storm thrashed the Broncos 50-12 on Thursday night in in their final regular season game of the year to leave Kevin Walters facing more scrutiny after a horror season. And while Craig Bellamy would have been thrilled at his team's rhythm heading into the NRL finals, the Storm were rocked with a number of major scares. Bellamy will be waiting on the fitness of utility and back-up fullback Fa'alogo after the youngster was seen leaving the field clutching at his hamstring. Fa'alogo admitted he felt a 'pop' during his 57-minute hit-out at Suncorp Stadium having run 207 metres in a staggering display. “As he walked past me Sua Fa’alogo was ina fair bit of discomfort,” Corey Parker said on Fox Sports commentary. “He won’t return tonight and he will be very unlikely to return in the next week or so given the fact he said he felt a bit of a tear in that left hamstring. Scans will determine how long, but a huge blow for the Storm given what we had seen from him this evening.” Many see Fa'alogo as the Storm's long-term fullback and his display in the absence of Papenhuyzen reassured Storm fans. Bellamy admitted the team was hoping Fa'alogo's injury was nothing serious with the coach confident the 21-year-old will feature off the bench in the finals. "He is a great runner of the footy and like lightning," Bellamy said. "The more games we can get him the more he is going to learn about the game and the better player he will be."
No comments:
Post a Comment