Titans sweat on Tino after nasty eye injury
Gold Coast are sweating on the availability of captain Tino Fa'asuamaleaui after he was wearing the scars of battle following his return to the State of Origin arena.
The Maroons prop, who missed last season with an ACL rupture, had stitches in a badly cut left eye that had gone black after the 18-6 loss to NSW on Wednesday night.
Of concern was the swelling around his eye socket area. AAP was told the Titans skipper may require scans to confirm there is no fracture as he aims to line up on Saturday afternoon against his former club Melbourne.
"I pride myself on backing up from Origin. I intend to play," he said.
"I hope to be back again (for game two of the Origin series) in Perth but first of all I want to perform for the Titans against the Storm."
Fa'asuamaleaui won a title with Melbourne in 2020 and it is a match he always marks on his calendar.
Fellow Gold Coast and Maroons forwards Moeaki Fotuaika and Beau Fermor have been cleared to play at Cbus Super Stadium.
North Queensland quartet Jeremiah Nanai, Reuben Cotter, Tom Dearden and Reece Robson were also cleared of any injuries and should back up against Wests Tigers on Saturday night.
Brisbane had two players involved in Origin - NSW's man of the match Payne Haas and Maroons lock Pat Carrigan.
Both were set for medicals on Thursday morning ahead of Saturday night's away clash with Manly.
Haas battled a quad injury in the 10 days leading up to Origin but still was the best player on the park in a remarkable display.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
3 hours ago
- News.com.au
Is Stewart in trouble for BRUTAL bump?
AFL: Cats star Tom Stewart could be in hot water for a textbook but brutal bump on Suns midfielder Noah Anderson.
Sydney Morning Herald
3 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
The three positions causing most angst as Daley ponders Origin II team
Three of the most difficult selection decisions facing NSW coach Laurie Daley heading into Origin II in Perth on Wednesday week centre on the No.18, No.19 and No.20 jerseys. Daley is well aware that once the extended squad arrives in the Western Australian capital next weekend, he will no longer have the opportunity to bring in a late replacement should one of his players suffer an injury. When there were concerns over Stephen Crichton after the centre suffered a corked thigh just two days out from game one, the Blues had the luxury of placing Canterbury teammate Matt Burton on stand-by. If Crichton had been ruled out of the game, the Blues would have applied to the NRL for a special exemption to pick Burton from outside the original 20-man squad, and had him in Brisbane in a matter of hours. However, requiring a player to fly five hours to the other side of the country less than two days before an Origin game is not ideal, which is why Daley knows he must nail it with the selection of his three reserves. The fear of having Nathan Cleary or Mitchell Moses go down with an injury means Daley could yet opt against picking a fourth front-rower in favour of a playmaker like Jarome Luai on an extended bench. NSW and Queensland must submit their final 19 players by Tuesday night before the game. The Blues carried utility Campbell Graham as their 18th man in Brisbane, while Melbourne's Stefano Utoikamanu and Manly's Haumole Olakau'atu were No.19 and No.20 respectively.
The Age
3 hours ago
- The Age
The three positions causing most angst as Daley ponders Origin II team
Three of the most difficult selection decisions facing NSW coach Laurie Daley heading into Origin II in Perth on Wednesday week centre on the No.18, No.19 and No.20 jerseys. Daley is well aware that once the extended squad arrives in the Western Australian capital next weekend, he will no longer have the opportunity to bring in a late replacement should one of his players suffer an injury. When there were concerns over Stephen Crichton after the centre suffered a corked thigh just two days out from game one, the Blues had the luxury of placing Canterbury teammate Matt Burton on stand-by. If Crichton had been ruled out of the game, the Blues would have applied to the NRL for a special exemption to pick Burton from outside the original 20-man squad, and had him in Brisbane in a matter of hours. However, requiring a player to fly five hours to the other side of the country less than two days before an Origin game is not ideal, which is why Daley knows he must nail it with the selection of his three reserves. The fear of having Nathan Cleary or Mitchell Moses go down with an injury means Daley could yet opt against picking a fourth front-rower in favour of a playmaker like Jarome Luai on an extended bench. NSW and Queensland must submit their final 19 players by Tuesday night before the game. The Blues carried utility Campbell Graham as their 18th man in Brisbane, while Melbourne's Stefano Utoikamanu and Manly's Haumole Olakau'atu were No.19 and No.20 respectively.
