Injuries batter Bears’ chances
BURLEIGH’S Intrust Super Cup premiership hopes have been dented by a bye weekend from hell.
The second-placed Bears emerged from the representative round bye with four injuries including seasonending pectoral damage to unlucky prop Josh Ailaomai.
The 27-year-old has had a torrid run since the 2016 ISC grand final, missing all of last season with a torn pectoral – on that occasion it was his right side – before suffering recurring hamstring trouble in the early rounds of this year.
Ailaomai did the damage on Sunday while trying to get some extra minutes under his belt in Burleigh’s Rugby League Gold Coast game against Southport.
That blow was compounded by recurrences of ankle injuries to Jamal Fogarty and Blake Leary, both sustained during the Queensland Residents representative match that acted
as a State of Origin curtainraiser.
Leary is facing three to four weeks on the sidelines while Fogarty’s diagnosis is not yet clear, though another syndesmosis injury could rule him out for six weeks.
Young prop Jai Whitbread also broke his hand at training on Saturday.
The quartet of injuries come at a bad time for the Bears, just ahead of their derby match against Tweed Heads this Sunday at Pizzey Park.
Josh Rogers is in the picture to replace Fogarty, while Kai O’Donnell and Darius Farmer are a chance to make their ISC debuts.