Major blows have been struck to the Sydney Roosters and New Zealand Warriors for Round 4, as both teams will be missing two important spine players. Sam Walker will miss Round 4 following a brilliant display against the Rabbitohs that featured two tries. He failed an HIA halfway through the second half of the game.
Up against the Penrith Panthers next Thursday night, Walker’s absence is a big loss for the Roosters, but they will receive Luke Keary back after he failed his own HIA last week.
The absence of Walker and the addition of Kleary will likely see Sandon Smith remain in the halves for next week but will wear the number seven jersey – Zach Dockar-Clay and Connor Watson are other options.
With a hamstring injury, Lindsay Collins was also helped off the pitch and was unable to rejoin the match. In other club news, Billy Smith reportedly suffered an ankle injury during the NSW Cup, according to Zero Tackle. He left the pitch, and it is now uncertain how serious it is, but he never came back.
Taine Tuaupiki, a fullback for the New Zealand Warriors, is also out of Round 4. After failing a head-on interview with the Canberra Raiders, Tuaupiki will now be subject to the NRL’s concussion protocols and an 11-day standdown period.
Fortunately for the team from New Zealand, Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad’s return is planned for Round 4 against the Newcastle Knights, as the club announced earlier this week. He has gradually been incorporated into “some team skills and game-specific running capacities,” according to Head of Performance Balin Cupples, and he “continues his reactive running progressions.”
The Warriors are also yet to provide an update on Wayde Egan (elbow) and Dylan Walker (ankle) after they withdrew in the lead-up to the match.
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