The Sydney Roosters could face premiers Penrith with a heavily-depleted side, Victor Radley being the headline absentee after he was knocked out in a sickening collision in his club’s season-opening loss to Brisbane.
Radley was taken from the field in the first half of Thursday’s 50-14 thumping at the hands of the Broncos after a head clash with captain James Tedesco.
The England international will miss next Friday’s clash with the Panthers due to the NRL’s concussion protocols and he may not be the only player absent.
Angus Crichton could also face suspension after he was placed on report for a late shot on Broncos playmaker Ben Hunt.
Utility forward Nat Butcher was also a late scratching from the club’s season opener to an undisclosed operation.
“He is concussed. He’s okay in the sheds but you don’t want those things to happen,” Robinson said of Radley’s injury.
“He’s pretty key to our team and the way that we run things. To lose him quite early was tough.”
With Brandon Smith and Sam Walker both injured for the early part of the season and prop Spencer Leniu suspended for the Penrith clash, the absences of Crichton, Butcher and Radley will be felt keenly.
The Roosters lost close to 1000 games of NRL experience over the off-season and are tipped by many experts to miss the top-eight for the first time in close to a decade.
Robinson’s side were not able to lay a glove on Brisbane and while many thought their season would be a slow burn, the harrowing nature of the loss has brought the club’s roster back into focus.
The Chooks’ bench boasted two debutants and another inexperienced forward in four-gamer Blake Steep.
Young centre Rob Toia was also impressive on debut and looked to have struck up a strong partnership with Dom Young.
“It’s hard to explain how excited you are about developing a team and watching these guys make three debuts,” Robinson said.
“It’s really disappointing, but it’s not a matter of happy or sad.
“We’ve got to work hard, and that’s what coaching is. You’ve got to go step by step, and I saw some things that I liked.
“We’ll keep getting better as long as we keep our attitude where it needs to be and we keep improving our smarts and we keep belief in our team.
“I’ve been asked if I’m worried, or the size of the challenge, but that’s the beauty of it.”
https://thewest.com.au/sport/rugby-league/penrith-await-roosters-after-radley-blow-50-point-loss-c-17954516
