It's hard to know what to make of the weekend's Auckland Nines tournament. For Wests Tigers it produced just one win from three matches. The bigger talking point will be the injuries to both Curtis Sironen (broken toe) and Mitchell Moses (shoulder).
Sironen's injury at this stage appears the bigger concern. Early reports suggest he'll miss 6 weeks. Lets hope it's just that! For Moses, scans taken most likely today will determine his future. Though they've been described as precautionary by the club which may indicate it's more likely a minor problem, unless of course scans produce a more grim reality.
Injuries are always a part of the game. Whether or not it's Nines football or NRL trial football, they'll always happen. The common denominator here is that it's pre season and players bodies are yet to reach the level of conditioning that is needed. It's a necessary evil really. Sironen and Moses' injuries only add to a list that already contains Tim Moltzen, Dene Halatau and David Nofoaluma. Nofoaluma though appears to have been held back as a precaution. Much like Robbie Farah the week before.
Ultimately, what did Wests Tigers gain out of the Nines? It doesn't appear a lot. For the majority it was a case of further getting rid of pre-season rust and getting some minutes into the legs which only aids there conditioning. Other than that there was at least some valuable top line football experience for the likes of rookies Moses, Kurtis Rowe, Manaia Cherrington and Delouise Hoeter. The experience alone will have done them the world of good.
Now though, the attention turns to Saturday night's final trial versus the Sharks at Remondis Stadium. One expects coach Mick Potter will name his round 1 team to start this trial and go from there. The club is hopeful that both Keith Galloway and Jack Buchanan will return whilst David Nofoaluma will hope for the same. Luke Brooks is another who they'll hope will return to the park this weekend.
Sironen's injury at this stage appears the bigger concern. Early reports suggest he'll miss 6 weeks. Lets hope it's just that! For Moses, scans taken most likely today will determine his future. Though they've been described as precautionary by the club which may indicate it's more likely a minor problem, unless of course scans produce a more grim reality.
Injuries are always a part of the game. Whether or not it's Nines football or NRL trial football, they'll always happen. The common denominator here is that it's pre season and players bodies are yet to reach the level of conditioning that is needed. It's a necessary evil really. Sironen and Moses' injuries only add to a list that already contains Tim Moltzen, Dene Halatau and David Nofoaluma. Nofoaluma though appears to have been held back as a precaution. Much like Robbie Farah the week before.
Ultimately, what did Wests Tigers gain out of the Nines? It doesn't appear a lot. For the majority it was a case of further getting rid of pre-season rust and getting some minutes into the legs which only aids there conditioning. Other than that there was at least some valuable top line football experience for the likes of rookies Moses, Kurtis Rowe, Manaia Cherrington and Delouise Hoeter. The experience alone will have done them the world of good.
Now though, the attention turns to Saturday night's final trial versus the Sharks at Remondis Stadium. One expects coach Mick Potter will name his round 1 team to start this trial and go from there. The club is hopeful that both Keith Galloway and Jack Buchanan will return whilst David Nofoaluma will hope for the same. Luke Brooks is another who they'll hope will return to the park this weekend.
