NRL speedster Brent Naden was dealt another gutting injury blow when his left knee was twisted in nasty fashion as Wests Tigers beat Parramatta 30-18 on Friday night. The 29-year-old Tigers centre was assisted from Leichhardt Oval during the first half after suffering an awful knee injury while being tackled by three Eels defenders. Highly regarded sports physiotherapist Brien Seeney offered a grim assessment on social media. "Can see clear patella (kneecap) dislocation but risk for other ligament injury (MCL/ACL) with traumatic nature of contact. "Lengthy recovery ahead, fingers crossed it's somehow not as bad as it looks." A stretcher was taken onto the field but Naden was instead helped off walking, albeit with no pressure being applied to his left leg. The former Panther and Bulldog has played no more than 10 NRL games in a season across the past five years, riddled primarily with shoulder problems, and is not contracted beyond 2025. Hulking forwards Terrell May and Royce Hunt debuted for the Tigers on Friday night, as did former NSW State of Origin representative Jack Bird. Josh Addo-Carr had his first outing in Eels colours after being sacked by the Bulldogs, while former Dragon Zac Lomax also played his first game in blue and gold. May produced 17 runs for 147 run metres, including 70 post-contact, to leave Storm and Roosters legend Cooper Cronk singing his praises. "He looked very fit, again taking back-to-back carries and doing a bit of the hard work that the Tigers have probably missed over the last few years," Cronk said on the Fox League coverage. "I like that he made a statement tonight. He came out to be that forward leader, he was physical, he was aggressive, he played long minutes, and I think if the Tigers are going to move up the ladder they're going to need a lot of this from Terrell May for the rest of the year ... If this guy, Terrell May, can stay fit and healthy, play long minutes and really sure up the middle third of the field — that's the challenge for the Tigers." Fonua Pole, May's front-row partner, racked up 18 runs for 177 run metres. The Tigers will face the Knights in Campbelltown in round one, while Parramatta will take on Manly in Brookvale.
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