Knee injury sidelines Tigers NRL hooker

Troy Whittaker | February 28, 2022

Wests Tigers hooker Jacob Liddle will be sidelined for the opening rounds of the NRL season after scans revealed he suffered a PCL tear in a trial win over the Sydney Roosters.

The Tigers said Liddle, 25, is set to be sidelined for four-to-six weeks.

Liddle, whose unlucky run of injuries includes shoulder issues in 2017 and an ACL tear in 2019, is likely to be replaced at dummy-half by 20-year-old Jake Simpkin.

After impressing in NSW Cup, Simpkin made his NRL debut in round six last year and finished 2021 with nine top-grade appearances and two tries.

Captain James Tamou will join Liddle in watching the team’s season-opening clash with Melbourne on March 12 after accepting a one-match ban for dangerous contact.

Tamou submitted an early guilty plea for grade-two dangerous contact on Sam Walker having collected the Roosters halfback’s legs in an attempt to pressure his kick.