When Gareth Widdop limped off two minutes before half-time yesterday you could have forgiven St George Illawarra for thinking it wasn’t their day.
The Dragons captain, who has been in outstanding form to lead the club to the top of the NRL table, was again putting in a top class performance as he controlled much of the game from St George Illawarra’s left side against the Sydney Roosters in their traditional Anzac Day clash.
But the 28-year-old, who signed a four-year contract extension with the club last week, was forced off with a medial ligament injury in his left knee. He failed to return and it is feared he could miss anywhere between two and six weeks.
St George Illawarra’s head of athletic performance Nathan Pickworth said Widdop had suffered a “moderate to high grade” injury to his medial ligament and would undergo scans on Wednesday.
St George Illawarra soldiered on without their skipper, coming from behind to force golden-point extra-time, only to be beaten by a clutch Mitchell Pearce field goal.
Some coaches would look to make excuses. There wasn’t just the loss of Widdop but also fullback Josh Dugan to a head injury assessment late in the second half. And if Paul McGregor had wanted to make excuses few would have begrudged him.
But he didn’t. McGregor was simply proud of his team. Because it was a measure of the spirit within this Dragons team. They are strong. And they do not quit.
“I think it shows where we’re heading. That’s what it does show,” he said.
“You don’t lose friends playing like that. Obviously there was a few circumstances in the game that unfolded but, as I spoke to the boys, we’re still in the learning part as a growing team. And it’s a bit of a lesson today at different stages. But certainly if you look at what we spoke about, mateship, courage and sacrifice and words like that, they did all that today.
“We lost our fullback for a period. We lost our half for a period. It came down to golden-point. So I’m very proud.
“I don’t want to make excuses on a day like today. As I said to the players they did what they could in the circumstances but we’ve got to learn from it, grow from it. And keep moving.”
McGregor indicated it was unlikely Widdop would line up for England in their Test against Samoa at Campbelltown on May 6.
The Dragons will need to bounce back quickly from the tough 13-12 extra-time loss. St George Illawarra face a five day turnaround from Tuesday’s clash with the Roosters to their top of the table showdown with Melbourne in Wollongong on Sunday afternoon.
There are options for the Dragons to replace Widdop, highlighting the depth of their squad. Not only is there Kurt Mann but exciting youngster Jai Field waiting for an opportunity.
“I don’t know how bad [Widdop’s knee] is just yet because it’s only fresh but it’s a medial so I don’t know the time frame on it,” McGregor said.
“You’d have to say yes [he will miss the Test] at this stage. If he’s coming off with a knee, Gareth doesn’t like missing footy. Obviously coming off and not being able to run, he won’t be playing one wouldn’t think.
“We’re a squad. That was the message. Whoever takes that position is ready. [Mann] knows our systems. There’s a good opportunity for Kurt to play a bit of half. Obviously you don’t replace Gareth Widdop but Kurt’s trained there before. He’s certainly a very capable NRL player and our squad is a squad. So we’re comfortable with whoever comes in and wears the number.”
