Panthers enforcer Liam Martin has suffered a head knock which has been labelled a class one — doubtlessly ruling him out of Game II of the Origin sequence.
Martin will now be stood down for 11 days beneath the NRL’s concussion protocols, with the Blues set to face the Maroons in precisely 11 days time.
Fox League’s Matt Russell revealed Martin isn’t a confirmed out for the Blues and will probably be assessed within the coming days.
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“Liam Martin was category one which invokes the 11-day stand down, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that he is concussed,”
“He will be assessed long term, the club has said he doesn’t have a history of concussion problems.
“He has already emerged and shaken hands with his teammates and said ‘I am okay’. While that 11-day stand down applies now, it doesn’t mean he is automatically ruled out of Origin.”
The 26-year-old acquired his head caught in a clumsy place making an attempt to sort out Roosters enforcer Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and was clearly dazed.
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Martin was arguably the Blues’ greatest participant within the Adelaide sequence opener, scoring a four-pointer from a Jarome Luai brief ball.
Heading in to Round 15, each Tom Trbojevic and Reed Mahoney have been cleared to return inside the 11 day stand down.
NSW officers may go for Martin to be examined by unbiased medical doctors within the hopes of the gun backrower taking the sector in a vital Suncorp Stadium encounter.
Brad Fittler has already misplaced Apisai Koroisau in Round 15 after the Tigrs hooker suffered a damaged jaw in two locations making an attempt to sort out Tino Fa’asuamaleaui.
Meanwhile, Latrell Mitchell is doubtful with a calf damage, Cameron Murray is nursing a groin damage and potential five-eighth Cody Walker was additionally dominated out for the Rabbitohs with a quad pressure.
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GIRDLER THROWS SUPPORT BEHIND HYNES
Former Blues consultant Ryan Girdler has thrown his help behind Nicho Hynes as New South Wales coach Brad Fittler contemplates who will substitute Nathan Cleary at halfback.
Cleary suffered a hamstring damage in Penrith’s win over the Dragons final weekend and can miss Game II of Origin in Brisbane.
The Blues should win at Suncorp if they’re to keep away from surrendering the sequence, with a defeat more likely to price Fittler his job as NSW coach.
News Corp journalist Brent Read claims Parramatta halfback Mitchell Moses is the main contender to fill Cleary’s boots, however Girdler felt Hynes needs to be given the nod as a result of his familiarity with this 12 months’s set-up.
“All the talk in the last few days, and it’s coming from people who are in the know, ‘Gus’ Gould talked about it and ‘Gus’ is a Freddy confidant, is that Mitchell Moses is the guy they’re going to look at and turn to,” Read informed Triple M’s Saturday Scrum.
Girdler replied: “You can build a case for Mitchell (Moses), you can build a great case for Adam Reynolds and Cody Walker and you can build a great case for Nicho Hynes.
“But it’s not about who comes in. It’s about who can Freddy (Fittler) sell this story to, who really understands the opportunity?
“I just think that the guys that have been in this series already, that have spent time preparing already … bringing in a new playmaker that hasn’t been in this series, [but] played a couple of series’ ago, you can build a story for him, but that wouldn’t be the way I’d go.”
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Source: www.foxsports.com.au