TWO CUPS, TWO INJURIES
Palm Beach Currumbin State High School’s hopes of winning a third straight Langer Cup rugby league title have hit a speed bump, with two key figures battling injury.
Prop Jake Kearton has suffered a cracked rib and could be out for the rest of the Cup campaign while forward Flynn Daniel (pictured) is nursing a shoulder injury.
PALM Beach Currumbin is nursing its wounds after a physical encounter with Ipswich State High left the team sweating on the fitness of two key forwards.
Brisbane Broncos signing Flynn Daniel was knocked out of the game in the 22nd minute after an awkward tackle on rampaging Ipswich backrower Amazaiya Lepolo left him clutching his left shoulder.
Fives minutes earlier, a highimpact tackle from ex-New
Zealand under-16s prop Ilai Tuia fractured the rib cage of interchange prop Jake Kearton.
The loss of the two senior forwards, including star edgeman Daniel, forced PBC to play 40 minutes with a shortened bench.
PBC pulled through to win the match 22-10 but at significant cost, with both players at risk of watching the rest of the Langer Cup from the sidelines.
Doctors cleared Broncos prospect Daniel of a fracture but are continuing to investigate the source of his pain, according to coach Brad Davis. “They’re investigating some nerve pain, some neural pain,” he said.
“He hasn’t been at school the last few days so I haven’t seen him since the game. Hopefully it’s only a pinched nerve. He’s an important part of our team and he was doing well defensively for us. It’s a shame but hopefully it’s only minor and we’ll get him back soon.”
The outlook for Burleigh Bears Mal Meninga Cup prop Kearton was less optimistic.
“It’s a cracked rib on the left side of his ribcage, so depending on how well he heals that’s going to be three to six weeks,” Davis said.
“Hopefully he’s a rapid healer and we get him back, but we’ll wait and see.
“(As a coach) you’ve got to deal with injuries and it means we’ll need to use our depth. We had a good performance from second grade so boys are knocking on the door for selection and someone will get a shot.”
PBC travels to Brisbane next week to take on table-toppers Wavell State High, who upset Keebra Park 38-24 in a dominant performance at Southport’s Owen Park on Wednesday.
Keebra Park will look to bounce back for its first win of the season when it hosts Marsden State High School on Wednesday.
Marsden defeated St Mary’s 24-18 in Toowoomba in its opening game.
Bulletin online subscribers can stream every match of the season on our website.