The Roosters hammer the Broncos 40-18 at Lang Park as Brisbane loses captain Adam Reynolds to a badly torn bicep.
Reynolds left the game early in the second half after trying to tackle Roosters winger Junior Pauga and immediately clutched at his left arm and signalled for a trainer.
Broncos medical staff said it appeared the 33-year-old halfback, who was in his second game back after a hamstring injury, had torn the bicep off the bone.
He will have surgery and likely miss about three months, with the injury “potentially” ending his season, according to coach Kevin Walters.
“He’ll be out for a substantial period,” Walters said in his post-match press conference.
Back rower Jordan Riki, who moved to centre to cover Jesse Arthars after he broke his jaw early in the match, said Reynolds’s injury was particularly “gutting” after the veteran playmaker had put in a mountain of work in the off-season, including dropping weight in order to be fit for the season.
“Definitely hard for us. That definitely hurts,” Riki told ABC Sport.
“My little general, that stings and hurts a little bit emotionally. Really gutting to hear.”
Earlier, Manly surrendered a 20-0 first-half lead to lose 26-24 to the Canberra Raiders at Brookvale Oval.
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Key events
Adam Reynolds’s injury ‘potentially’ season-ending
Walters says he hopes to get Reynolds back before the season is through, but there is potential for a bicep torn off the bone to be a season-ending injury.
“He’ll have to have surgery and he’ll be out for a substantial period.”
Walters says the likes of Ezra Mam, Reece Walsh, Pat Carrigan and Billy Walters will need to step into the void left by Reynolds.
“I think the ownership needs to be spread across the group.”
Jock Madden’s prognosis on his pec injury is still uncertain, so Tristan Sailor is an option to come into the halves, with Walters saying Walsh will stay at fullback.
“[Madden] will be a chance for next week.”
Walters says he will look at this next few months going forward as an opportunity to learn about life after Reynolds.
“It gives us a chance to have a really good look at Jock for the next 12 weeks or 14 weeks or whatever it is.”
The Roosters look like the real deal
Look, putting 60 points on the Dragons last week was all well and good, but the boys from Wollongong have been all over the shop to start the season.
Tonight’s performance is the confirmation of the Roosters’ brilliance this season.
They’ve had the troops but just hadn’t put it together in the past couple of seasons and now they are really hitting their straps.
In a season where even the ladder-leading Sharks have lost to the Tigers and no-one had really popped their head above the parapet for more than a couple of games, the Roosters are rounding into premiership favouritism at the moment with games like this.
Cooper Cronk has his say on the Broncos’ chances
Legendary halfback Cooper Cronk says there is some hope for the Broncos even if Adam Reynolds is out for 12 weeks or three months, which is the general rule of thumb when the bicep is torn off the bone.
“They’re a good team,” Cronk says on Fox.
“Kevin Walters has depth, Ezra Mam can cover a little bit, but can they beat the big teams? I doubt they can without Adam.
“They just need to get to finals and then hopefully have everyone else fit.”
Covering Jesse Arthars’s broken jaw will be easier, with Corey Oates coming in to replace him, but this game will have monumental impact on the premiership complexion in 2024.
Adam Reynolds loss ‘really gutting’ for Jordan Riki and the Broncos
Jordan Riki tells ABC Sport it will be incredibly hard to cover the loss of Adam Reynolds, as sideline reporter Zane Bojack breaks the news that it looks like the captain has torn the bicep off the bone.
Riki says his offsider in the defensive line dropped a lot of weight in the preseason to try to get fighting fit for this season and this is a devastating blow.
“Definitely hard for us. That definitely hurts. My little general, that stings and hurts a little bit emotionally. Really gutting to hear.”
Usual halfback replacement Jock Madden is recovering from a pectoral injury, so Riki is on board with bringing in Tristan Sailor to pair with Ezra Mam in the halves.
FULL-TIME: Roosters beat Broncos 40-18 in horror night for Brisbane
Obviously a lot of focus on the injury to Adam Reynolds and what it means for Brisbane’s premiership contention, but that was another phenomenal performance by the Roosters.
Coming off the back of that 60-18 win over the Dragons on Anzac Day, the Roosters have made it an even 100 in two weeks against last year’s runners-up tonight.
They are perhaps the form team of the comp right now and nearing premiership favouritism in a tight comp.
Fans heading for the doors
Can you speak up please Jon – I can’t hear you over the rattle of car keys in the stands…
– Mike
Who drives to Lang Park?
75′ Big Lindsay Collins makes a brilliant mark
The Roosters prop gets back to mark Reece Walsh’s kick and Ezra Mam doesn’t lay a hand on him in the in-goal because he thought it was a catch behind the tryline, but Collins took off from the field of play and steals 10 or 15 metres up field.
The Roosters are running up the score late
Winger Dom Young dives over on the right wing as the Roosters spin it and James Tedesco taps it on.
This reshuffled Broncos outfit is utterly shot to bits.
FORTY points for the Roosters with the sideline conversion still to come.
Terrell May is in for a double
The Roosters are running through the Broncos’ defence like it’s made of crepe paper and this time Billy Walters shoots up on the outside and this time Connor Watson plays short to big Terrell May to crash in and end this game as a contest.
68′ Adam Reynolds appears on the bench in a sling
Xavier Willison is still the only playing member on the bench, with Ezra Mam six minutes away from being allowed to return.
Connor Watson goes over for the Roosters
The Broncos were defending manfully, but the pressure tells as Angus Crichton attracts a host of defenders before offloading to Watson back in-field to crash over.
Against 12 men, there’s always going to be a hole somewhere, and Deine Mariner was FOUR SECONDS away from returning when it was scored.
62′ The Roosters get one back after an incorrect high tackle penalty
Sam Walker is pinged for a high shot on Reece Walsh that was across the chest and shoulders, then Walsh throws a wide ball that Joey Manu clearly knocks on to Dom Young, but referee Ashley Klein says no.
And Kotoni Staggs is penalised for taking out James Tedesco on suspicion after Tedesco pulls his hands away from the ball at the last second. Another dubious call from Klein.
59′ And Ezra Mam is off, leaving the Broncos with a one-man bench
The Broncos five-eighth is off for the next 15 minutes for an HIA after his head was collected by teammate Selwyn Cobbo as they tried to stop Terrell May’s try.
So, no Ezra Mam until the final six minutes, no Jesse Arthars or Adam Reynolds for the rest of the match. And down to 12 men on the field with Deine Mariner not back for four more minutes.
Xavier Willison is all alone on the bench as Corey Jensen replaces Mam.
The Roosters are over through Terrell May
The Broncos stopped James Tedesco, then Angus Crichton, then Lindsay Collins on the left, but Tedesco reloaded and sent Terrell May over on the right side of the posts.
55′ Dom Young bombs a try
James Tedesco puts Dom Young on the outside down the right, but the big winger can’t hold on, knocking on over the line.
Not only is it no try, but it’s seven tackles and a 20m tap for Brisbane.
54′ The Broncos are down to 12 men as Deine Mariner is sin-binned
The Broncos winger hit James Tedesco with a shoulder charge leading to a head clash.
He’s off for 10 minutes.
Ezra Mam is in this time, and the Broncos are all level
Sam Walker over-commits on Reece Walsh, who sends Kotoni Staggs through a hole back on the inside and then Ezra Mam beats James Tedesco and dives over under the posts after the support run.
The Broncos have come to life with their skipper’s departure.
The Broncos are in!
With Adam Reynolds off, this is the Reece Walsh and Ezra Mam show.
Mam brushes past the onrushing defence of Joey Manu and floats a long ball over the top for Kotoni Staggs to score on the left.
And Walsh converts.
45′ Adam Reynolds is out with a suspected torn bicep
The Broncos halfback and captain immediately signals to the trainers, holding his left arm after trying to tackle Junior Pauga.
Looks like it’s his bicep. Very worrying signs for Reynolds, who only just came back from a knee injury.
Brisbane doctors tell ABC Sport it looks like the left bicep has been torn off the bone.
44′ Broncos aim up in defence
The Roosters are pinned behind their 40m line and Luke Keary gets a wobbly kick away, very lucky it didn’t float out on the full.
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