Injury puts star Bulldog in doubt for Las Vegas opener
Jasper Bruce |
Matt Burton is backing himself to overcome a hamstring injury in time for Canterbury’s Las Vegas season opener after limping off during their 28-0 pre-season thrashing of Newcastle.
Dylan Brown had a quiet first hit-out in Knights colours but the multi-million-dollar recruit’s underwhelming showing was overshadowed by the poorly-timed injury to his rival No.6.
Burton scored an early try but pulled up sore following a tackle from Phoenix Crossland and Brown midway through Saturday’s first half.
He managed to complete a tackle on Knights winger Dom Young during the next set before leaving the field for medical assessment.
“We saw him grabbing at it, and we told the trainers to get him off,” Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo told reporters at McDonald Jones Stadium.
“He had to make that tackle (on Young), so he couldn’t have been too bad.”
Burton was walking freely in the Bulldogs shed after full-time, albeit with a brace on his hamstring, and told club staff his injury felt minor.
“He said it’s not too bad, it feels all right,” Ciraldo said.
“He just felt a little something and just thought with it being a trial that he’d come get it checked.”
Burton will nevertheless be racing the fitness clock to board Thursday’s flight to the US, where the Bulldogs face St George Illawarra for their season opener at Allegiant Stadium.
Canterbury have the bye in round two but Ciraldo won’t give any thought to resting Burton from the Vegas trip as a precaution.
“If he’s right to play, he’ll play in Vegas. If not, I think Sean O’Sullivan did a great job today. It’s pretty black and white,” Ciraldo said.
O’Sullivan showed his defensive muscle holding Jermaine McEwen up over the tryline in the final minutes to deny the Knights their best chance at points.
But if Burton is out, it’s likely to be much-discussed 20-year-old Lachlan Galvin carrying the weight of expectation as the Bulldogs hope to maintain the rage following last year’s top-four finish.
The Knights were the NRL’s worst attacking side en route to the wooden spoon last year and execution problems continued on Saturday even with the injection of Brown.
“It’s not what we wanted, that’s for sure,” new Knights coach Justin Holbrook said of the loss.
“Tough afternoon, a lot to learn, and we’ve got two weeks to get it right.”
Strike weapons Kalyn Ponga and Fletcher Sharpe were admittedly missing, the latter with a hamstring issue, though both are set to return in Vegas.
Brown could consider himself unlucky not to have orchestrated the game’s first try.
He dug into the line to start a shift to the right but Young’s would-be try was chalked off for an obstruction on an offside Stephen Crichton.
Attacking on the right, Brown took the bulk of kicking work from the more conventional playmaker Sandon Smith.
Holbrook is still unsure where Sharpe fits into his side for the Vegas season opener against North Queensland, with the livewire local junior a halves or backline option.
“Not sure yet, I’ll decide over the next couple of days,” he said.
Brown lofted a kick out on the full inside the red zone in the first half and rushed out of the line as the Bulldogs shifted left for their first try.
Canterbury flexed their attacking muscle with Crichton sending a no-look pass to Jonathan Sua, who kicked inside for Burton to ice their 55-metre try before his injury.
Sitili Tupouniua sent Jaeman Salmon over just before half-time before Viliame Kikau put the result beyond doubt in the second stanza.
AAP
