A throat injury has today ruled Vodafone Warriors captain Steve Price out of Sunday’s third-round NRL clash against South Sydney at Mount Smart Stadium.
The 35-year-old prop received an accidental blow to his throat making a tackle on Sea Eagles forward Jason King early in the second half of the Vodafone Warriors’ 26-24 win over the defending premiers at Brookvale Oval on March 22.
Price was advised to miss the South Sydney match after visiting a specialist today.
“A scan revealed Steve has a haematoma to his throat and the area is still swollen,” said team doctor John Mayhew.
“He needs to rest this week to allow the swelling to ease before he is reviewed next week with a view to being able to return in round five (against Newcastle).”
With Price ruled out, a total of nine players from the Vodafone Warriors’ NRL squad are now unavailable for Sunday’s encounter.
On the injured list are centre Brent Tate (knee), wing Manu Vatuvei (knee), utility Lance Hohaia (knee) and second rower Ben Matulino (ankle) plus props Leeson Ah Mau (shoulder), Mataupu Poching (ankle), Evarn Tuimavave (neck) and now Price (throat) as well as second rower Epalahame Lauaki. Lauaki has been prevented from playing for the Vodafone Warriors after signing with Hull FC.
Tate is out for the season after rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee playing against his old Brisbane club last Saturday night. Tuimavave is out indefinitely at this stage but Vatuvei, Hohaia, Matulino and Poching are all expected to be available for selection soon, possibly for round five.
“It’s a big dent in our resources but there’s nothing we can do about that except back other players to step in and do the job, which is exactly what we’re doing,” said coach Ivan Cleary.
“While we’ve lost two of our most experienced players this week in Brent and Steve, we have boys in our squad who are busting themselves for an opportunity and now they have it.”
Yesterday 39-game NRL utility Patrick Ah Van was confirmed as Tate’s replacement in the centres.
With Price out, Cleary said Sam Rapira and Russell Packer would be the starting props against South Sydney while he has brought in new signing Lewis Brown (22) and 2008 Vodafone Junior Warriors captain Daniel O’Regan (21) to create a five-man bench. Christchurch-born Brown, a hooker-back rower, and O’Regan, a loose forward-stand off, have both been playing for the Auckland Vulcans in the New South Wales Cup and are yet to play at NRL level.
Cleary said he wouldn’t confirm the final make-up of the interchange bench until closer to game time. In any event there would be at least one more debutant on Sunday, that player becoming the 150th to appear at NRL level for the club since its introduction to the competition in 1995.
VODAFONE WARRIORS v SOUTH SYDNEY RABBITOHS
Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland
2.00pm, Sunday, April 5
Referees: Tony De Las Heras and Gavin Badger
VODAFONE WARRIORS
WADE McKINNON
DENAN KEMP
PATRICK AH VAN
JEROME ROPATI
AIDAN KIRK
JOEL MOON
STACEY JONES
SAM RAPIRA
IAN HENDERSON
RUSSELL PACKER
SIMON MANNERING
JACOB LILLYMAN
MICHEAL LUCK
Interchange:
LEWIS BROWN
NATHAN FIEN
DANIEL O’REGAN
JESSE ROYAL
UKUMA TA’AI
COACH: IVAN CLEARY
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