Roberts sidelined indefinitely, Origin in doubt

BRISBANE’S strike centre James Roberts has been sidelined indefinitely with an achilles injury that could cost him his NSW Origin jumper and threatens to plague his entire 2019 season.

The Broncos received a blow ahead of tonight’s blockbuster clash against premiers the Roosters with coach Anthony Seibold revealing there is no definitive timeframe for Roberts’ return as “The Jet” battles the most frustrating injury of his career.

Roberts has been managing a niggling achilles problem for the past 15 months and will miss the Roosters showdown at the SCG – opening the door for young gun Kotoni Staggs to mark-up against NSW Origin sensation Latrell Mitchell.

Seibold insists the Broncos are not considering surgery for Roberts, who will instead undergo an intensive rehabilitation program before he is medically cleared to return to the field.

Roberts’ sidelining could have ramifications for his hopes of retaining his NSW Origin jumper. The series opener is on June 5, giving him eight weeks to convince NSW coach Brad Fittler his body can withstand the rigours of the code’s toughest arena.

Brisbane’s fastest player hopes to be fit for next week’s clash against the Tigers at Suncorp Stadium but Seibold adREFORMED mits he cannot give a firm guarantee on a comeback date.

“Whether it’s one or two weeks out or even longer, we just have to work with the medical staff,” Seibold said.

“James did parts of training (on Tuesday) so he is working hard with the medical staff, but as people are aware, achilles are quite a painful injury.

“It has hampered him, there is no doubt about that.

“You can see in his performances he has hobbled around a little bit at times and it has been challenging for him.

“We think the best thing to do is to spend a bit of time getting his body right and we will focus on what he does next week after this game.”

News Corp understands Roberts’ pain has spread from the mid-portion of his achilles to his entire heel region. The injury flared after the Blues ace streaked 90 metres to score in last week’s 25-24 loss to the Dragons at Suncorp Stadium.

At training on Tuesday, Roberts was barely able to run during an opposed session.

Seibold challenged Roberts to leave no stone unturned with his rehabilitation.

Asked if he was working hard enough, the Broncos coach said: “Only Jimmy can answer that.

“As an individual you have to work hard on your rehab and with the medical staff.

“He isn’t able to do his job for the game and if he can’t do his job, I can’t play him.”