Bulldogs captain Crichton injured in NRL final
Oliver Caffrey |
Canterbury captain Stephen Crichton’s finals series is under a major injury cloud after failing to finish the Bulldogs’ 26-18 NRL qualifying final defeat to Melbourne.
The star centre was forced from the field with an ankle injury in the first half and took no further part in Friday night’s match at AAMI Park.
Crichton bravely tried to play through pain after hurting himself, but lasted only a few more minutes before he made his way off the field for assessment.
Bulldogs medical staff believe Crichton’s injury is syndesmosis-related, which would place his availability for the rest of the finals series in major doubt.
Crichton watched the rest of the game from the bench, his leg in a moon boot and crutches by his side.
A sore Crichton capped off a chaotic start to the NRL finals series, after fellow Bulldogs star Viliame Kikau spent about 15 minutes off the field after copping a stray elbow to the face.
When trying to tackle Will Warbrick, Kikau received accidental contact to his face from the Storm winger.
The rampaging forward suffered a category-two concussion, but the major concern for the Bulldogs was the prospect of eye socket damage.
Incredibly, Kikau passed his next head injury assessment and was cleared of structural damage to his face and was able to come back on midway through the first half.
But the 30-year-old still had major swelling around his right eye and had more trouble with his vision for the rest of the game.
In the dying minutes, Kikau threw a wonky pass that was intercepted by Warbrick as the Storm flyer ran the length of the field for the winning try.
The Bulldogs will face the winner of Saturday’s elimination final between the Warriors and Penrith in a semi-final next weekend.
AAP
