The loss of two important spine players for Round 4 will be a big blow to both the Sydney Roosters and the New Zealand Warriors.
Sam Walker is expected to miss Round 4 following a brilliant display against the Rabbitohs that featured two tries. The player failed an HIA halfway through the second half of the game.
Walker’s absence will be felt greatly by the Roosters when they play the Penrith Panthers on Thursday night. However, Luke Keary will return after failing his own HIA last week.
With Walker out and Kleary joining the team, it seems expected that Sandon Smith will play in the halves the following week, although with the number seven jersey; other candidates are Zach Dockar-Clay and Connor Watson.
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 is said to have suffered an ankle injury during the NSW Cup, according to Zero Tackle. He left the field, and it is presently uncertain how serious it is, but he never came back.
Round 4 will also see the absence of New Zealand Warriors fullback Taune Tuaupiki.
After failing an HIA against the Canberra Raiders, Tuaupiki will now be subject to the NFL’s concussion regulations and will be placed on an 11-day standdown.
Fortunately for the team from New Zealand, the confirmation was made earlier this week by the club that Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad intends to return in Round 4 against the Newcastle Knights.
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 have not yet released an update regarding the withdrawals of Dylan Walker (ankle) and Wayde Egan (elbow) before to the game.
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