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The Roosters have kept Penrith waiting on the field for a few minutes and now they’re out there. We’re taking a minute’s silence for Ian Heads, who passed away this week after an incredible contribution to the game. Andrew Webster summed it up best in this moving tribute.
Penrith kick us off.
Roosters 0 Panthers 0
No Nathan Cleary: Can Penrith win without him.Credit: Getty
Connor Watson was being carried up the stairs and sponge bathed one minute. Then swanning around the dressing rooms of Las Vegas’ $US1.9 billion ($2.9b) Allegiant Stadium the next.
Then making his fully fledged return to the game from a stinking hot St Marys demountable another minute later.
All Smiles: Connor Watson is back where he belongs.Credit: NRL Photos
The timeline is a tad cramped, but the Roosters utility can see the brighter side of rugby league life after a torturous knee injury and 558 days between NRL games, fearing more than once he’d never play again.
Watson is back from a ruptured patella tendon in his knee suffered late in the 2023 pre-season.
Connor Watson in a wheelchair after surgery on his ruptured patella.
A debilitating recovery required him to keep his leg straight for two months as he was confined to a wheelchair, ruling him out of the Roosters’ entire season while off-contract and unable to play for his future.
He’s back with a smile, and stories too. Like how his partner Kiana went above and beyond as “hygiene had to go out the window for a few weeks”.
“For the first week, I reckon I didn’t shower,” Watson says.
“It was so gross. When I did it, it was a wet day and I had to ring a mate to drive me home with the straight brace, [telling him] ‘You’re going to have to carry me up the stairs’. One mate is holding my leg straight, two are carrying me up the stairs.
“And they dropped me on the lounge and set me up, but I was still in my wet training gear. So I’m waiting for my girlfriend to get home on the Friday, surgery was on the Monday so that whole weekend I was getting sponge baths. It was a gross time.
“But if you don’t laugh, you cry. You’ve just got to let go of all those things, it taught me a lot. I need to be more patient. There were lessons through it and I’m glad I’m through it.”
Read the full story here.
Both teams are 1-17, with former Panther Michael Jennings once again 18th man for the Roosters. A head knock from serious foul play or two failed HIAs could bring him into the game.
All eyes on Penrith rookie Mavrik Geyer too, he’s got roughly 100-odd family, friends and hangers who have made the trip in from Mordor, sorry the golden west, for his NRL debut.
Penrith Panthers legend Mark Geyer with his son Mavrik Geyer ahead of his NRL debut for the club on Thursday night.
Roosters: 1. James Tedesco 2. Daniel Tupou 3. Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii 4. Joseph Manu 5. Dominic Young 6. Luke Keary 7. Sam Walker 8. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves 9. Brandon Smith 10. Terrell May 11. Nat Butcher 12. Sitili Tupouniua 13. Victor Radley 14. Connor Watson 15. Naufahu Whyte 16. Egan Butcher 17. Angus Crichton 18. Michael Jennings
Panthers: 1. Dylan Edwards 2. Sunia Turuva 3. Izack Tago 4. Taylan May 5. Brian To’o 6. Jarome Luai 7. Brad Schneider 8. Moses Leota 9. Mitch Kenny 10. Lindsay Smith 11. Luke Garner 12. Liam Martin 13. Isaah Yeo 14. Daine Laurie 15. Matt Eisenhuth 16. Liam Henry 17. Mavrik Geyer 18. Soni Luke
NRL Rookie of the year Sunia Turuva could be on his way out of Penrith with his management set to open discussions with rival teams from next week.
Turuva, a revelation for the Panthers on the wing last year, is off contract at the end of this season and is yet to strike a deal with the reigning champions despite fellow outside backs Izack Tago and Taylan May recently securing extensions.
Sunia Turuva will explore his options at rival clubs.Credit: Steven Siewert/Sydney Morning Herald
Penrith, who have also extended back-up centre Paul Alamoti’s contract in recent weeks, want to keep Turuva at the club but salary cap limitations have brought negotiations to a halt with the Panthers unwilling to spend more than $350,000 a season.
Turuva’s agent Mark Stewart recently met with the club to inform Penrith he would now seek expressions of interest and offers from rival clubs before returning to the Panthers to see if they can get closer to what he believes is his value on the open market.
Turuva is expected to attract offers of close to $500,000-a-season on the open market and could be squeezed out of Penrith as a result.
The Panthers are comfortable with the plan, having previously adopted a similar strategy with other players who have come back to the club with their best offers from rival teams.
Read the full story here.
Evening one, evening all,
Game of the round here at Allianz Stadium sports fans – no Nathan Cleary, no Penrith? Let’s find out shall we?
The Roosters are warm favourites and rightly so given James Fisher-Harris also joins the best player in the NRL as the most notable of absentees, but this Penrith side is still not to be sneezed at. The Chooks are without Lindsay Collins themselves but Luke Keary is back.
Kick-off at 8pm AEDT, should be a cracker. Let’s go.
