Daly Cherry-Evans’ NRL swan song appears set to turn into a Sydney Roosters recovery mission, as the Tri-colours sweat on scans on Sam Walker’s injured ankle.
Walker underwent scans late on Saturday night, after leaving Allianz Stadium in a moon boot following the Roosters’ 26-12 loss to the Dolphins.
The Roosters were unsure of the severity of the halfback’s injury on full-time, but there are legitimate concerns given he stayed down after contact from Kulikefu Finefeuiaki’s in a tackle.
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Any absence of Walker would come as a massive blow, given he has been one of their best in a year in he also starred in State of Origin.
It would also come at the worst possible time, on the eve of finals and with their top-four spot in doubt after two straight defeats.
But it could also make Cherry-Evans’ one-year stint at the Roosters even more crucial, before his move to the English Super League next year.
The 37-year-old has spent recent years as the main man at Manly, having led them to eight finals series being a premiership-winning rookie in 2011.
He will likely take on that same role again at the Roosters if Walker is out, with Hugo Savala likely to return to the halves at No.6.
“We don’t know how severe it is yet, so hopefully it’s not too bad,” Roosters captain James Tedesco said of Walker on Saturday night.
“It’s one of those ones (where) you get caught in the tackle, I had a similar one as well. It’s tough, hopefully it’s not too long, we’ll see how it is.
“But again, I think everyone’s disappointed with our performance and the injury as well.”
Walker’s injury comes after an ACL rupture ruled him out of the finals two years ago, with Trent Robinson’s men making the preliminary final then.
The Roosters now face a challenge to turn things around, ahead of Friday night’s clash with arch-rivals South Sydney.
It was only a fortnight ago that the Roosters went top of the ladder, after one of the best wins in years with a 12-6 defeat of Penrith.
Now they sit fourth, at risk of falling to fifth next week after losses to Wests Tigers and the Dolphins.
The Dolphins were superb on Saturday, firing in attack and scambling well in defence.
But the Roosters were also well below their best, letting the game get away from them in the 20 minutes before halftime.
Equally concerning was the way the Dolphins beat them out the break, going 26-6 up before Walker’s injury.
“I can’t believe we were down by that much and got jumped at halftime, and missed the physical kick as well,” Robinson said.
“Overall it’s really disappointing for us on that performance. We’re still creating opportunities but not finishing them.”
In better news, the Roosters were confident hooker Reece Robson had not suffered an injury after leaving the field late.
Daniel Tupou could also return on the wing, effectively replacing Savala in the backline.
