Bulldogs supremo Phil Gould has given a bleak insight into the injuries burdening Canterbury’s NRL squad on the cusp of the new season.
When the Dogs face the Sea Eagles at Brookvale Oval on Saturday afternoon, and for many weeks after, their front-row stocks will be thin.
The club’s most significant front-row casualties are Luke Thompson, who’s set to miss at least six months after suffering an ankle injury, and Tevita Pangai Junior, who’s expected to be out of action until round four due to a calf issue.
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Props Chris Patolo (knee) and Sam Hughes (back) are also sidelined as Cameron Ciraldo eyes his first game as Canterbury coach.
“We’ve just unfortunately run into an injury issue leading into the competition,” Gould said on Wide World of Sports’ Six Tackles with Gus podcast.
“We’ve got four of our starting front-rowers on the sidelines. Not for a little bit; for a long time.”
Thompson succumbed to injury just before the Dogs had to name their first squad of the season on Tuesday afternoon.
The England international has been plagued by injuries since joining Canterbury from St Helens midway through the 2020 NRL season, chalking up only 38 appearances in blue and white.
“It was just a simple technique drill,” Gould said as he explained the cause of Thompson’s latest injury.
“He was just running through some bump pads. You see them do it before games and all that sort of thing. He just got off balance and fell, and his ankle got caught underneath him.
“But he’s done it very, very badly and it’s going to be an extended lay-off for him.
“I feel sorry for Luke, he’s had a terrible time, it hasn’t been a happy time for him.
“He’s a great bloke, really competitive, really professional. He’s going to be badly missed.”
Gould suggested the knee injury of the 21-year-old Patolo came about gradually.
“Chris Patolo, one of our promising front-rowers, has had a great off-season, has just developed some pretty intense bone bruising around his knee,” Gould said.
“We’re trying to get to the bottom of that, but they’re saying it could be anything up to three months.”
The 22-year-old Hughes, who was added to Canterbury’s top-30 roster in November, underwent lumbar-disc surgery during the off-season.
“It wasn’t anything elaborate, but he needed some nerve-impingement release and it’s put him back behind the eight ball,” Gould said.
“It’ll still be some time before he plays.”
Gould said being stripped of four front-rowers who’d ideally play in the Dogs’ 17 made the team “a little bit small” and “a little bit vulnerable”.
Max King and Ryan Sutton have been named to start in the front row against Manly, while props Jayden Tanner and Franklin Pele, and second-rowers Corey Waddell and Jacob Preston, will begin on the bench.
Tanner isn’t a member of the Dogs’ top-30 squad and is only on a $1000-a-week train-and-trial contract, Gould revealed on his podcast.
“He’s been terrific all off-season at training but, as I said, we’ve had four front-rowers fall over and we just didn’t have the depth to cover it,” Gould said.
“So we’ve already had to go and get qualified in round one to use a player that’s not in the top 30 to play this weekend against the Manly Sea Eagles.
“So, very, very exciting for Jayden Tanner.”
The Dogs are hoping to play finals footy for the first time since 2016.
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