Source :- THE AGE NEWS
Connor Watson will know by Friday if an independent concussion consultant is prepared to allow him to play in the NRL grand final.
Watson underwent testing with a specialist on Thursday morning and was due to have further examinations on Thursday night in the hope of being cleared to play against Newcastle in Sunday’s decider.
The representative utility had only been on the field for one minute last Friday against the Dolphins when he suffered a concussion.
Watson was initially ruled to have displayed category-two symptoms, which was later upgraded to a category-one concussion. That meant Watson was automatically forced to stand down from training and playing for 11 days under the NRL’s concussion protocols, essentially ending his grand final dream.
The Roosters monitored Watson’s condition on Saturday and in the days that followed, and asked the NRL to review the category-one grading in the hope it would be re-classified as a category two, which removes the mandatory 11-day enforced rest.
One of the country’s top neurologists, Mark Parsons, stressed the risks involved in rushing Watson back, telling this masthead at the start of the week: “I’d be very surprised if an independent neurologist would clear him.”
Roosters coach Trent Robinson stressed the decision was in the hands of professionals and said the club would have an answer by Friday at the latest, when the Roosters are due to hold their main training session.
Should Watson be ruled out of what would be his final game at the club before he joins St George Illawarra, Robinson said Benaiah Ioelu loomed as the logical “plan B” to be the second dummy-half on the bench.
“He had an appointment this morning that went well, he has another one this afternoon,” Robinson said at the grand final press conference during a fan fest on Thursday in Martin Place.
“It’s out of our hands. We’ll get a ruling on that tonight or tomorrow. He’ll either be in or out. It’s pretty simple from our end.
“Connor has played his key role in the balance of our team in the middle of a game. He’s really done that well. He’s fit, played multiple positions, and he’s in our 17 every week for a reason.
“That’s a really important ‘in’ for us. If he’s out, I’ve got other players who will step in who have played many games and are really clear on their roles.
“Connor, we want him to play, he deserves to play – whether he’s fit to play will get decided by someone else, then we’ll adapt.
“I don’t think it would take too much to work our what plan B is. We have some really good hookers. Benaiah Ioelu has played some really good footy for us this year, he brings a lot of energy, and he’ll come into consideration.”
Newcastle skipper Kalyn Ponga is one of Watson’s best friends from their days playing together at the Knights, and said: “He’s one of the hardest-working blokes I know. The injuries he’s had to overcome over the years, the adversity, he’s one of the most deserving blokes to be in a grand final.
“His [Roosters teammates] know just how hard he works, how committed and dedicated he is to rugby league.
“If he gets cleared, I’ll be stoked for him. Obviously if he doesn’t, he has to take care of his health first.”
One player whose grand final hopes have already been dashed is Phoenix Crossland, the Newcastle hooker who was banned for four matches for a hip-drop tackle on Penrith’s Nathan Cleary last weekend.
The Knights made sure Crossland joined the group in Sydney for the last of the media commitments, and coach Justin Holbrook said he would still be named in the No.9 on the team sheet.
“It’s been his jersey all year,” Holbrook said. “We love the job he’s done … I didn’t want to replace that jersey for the last game of the year.”
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