RE: Wolfman gone for season
This sounds bad, not just for Wolf, but even more of our guys. Note, Wolf has an option for next year which he'll take up... apparently. From DT:
MANLY'S surge towards back-to-back titles suffered a jolt last night when David Williams was ruled out for the remainder of the season with a knee injury.
Coach Geoff Toovey also confirmed Jason King was expected to be ruled out of Friday night's clash against the Broncos at Brookvale Oval.
Williams underwent scans yesterday which revealed he had torn his anterior cruciate ligament, which would require surgery. He is expected to be sidelined for up to seven months.
It is a bitter blow for the man known by Sea Eagles fans as 'The Wolfman' given his shocking run with injuries.
There were plenty of concerns over Williams having not signed a new deal, but sources confirmed he had an option for 2013 which he will immediately take up.
The Wolfman's blow came a day after King (shoulder), Matt Ballin (calf) and Jamie Buhrer (concussion) also failed to finish the game against Newcastle.
But Toovey told the Daily Telegraph last night he was resigned to losing King (shoulder). He is also sweating on reports on former Maroons hooker Ballin and and Blues' utility Buhrer, who must undergo cognitive tests before he is cleared to play.
In a further concern for the Sea Eagles, Toovey said back-rower Anthony Watmough is playing under duress with a knee injury that is unlikely to improve during the finals.
Toovey was a relieved man after hulking forward Tony Williams was cleared of tripping Knights centre Dane Gagai, but the Manly coach is wary of a Broncos side that is playing for its season.
"King and Wolfman (David Williams) will struggle,'' Toovey said. "We'll be missing those two (for the Broncos match) I'd say. Matty Ballin might be out too but I'll know more (this morning).
"I'm glad T-Rex (Tony Williams) is free to play but Choc (Watmough) is the one with a knee problem and he has been carrying that for a few weeks.
"Jamie Buhrer was snoring for a little while (after a head knock against the Knights), but I'm hoping he'll pass the concussion test in the next few days and he'll be right to go.
"This is a danger game for us. The last few weeks have been tough for the Broncos but it's not much easier for us.
"They were unlucky last week (in their 19-18 loss to Melbourne). They played some good football and were only pipped by a field goal.
"You lose one or two games at this time of year and you're out, so you have to hit your straps and find that form at the right time.''
The Broncos set the scene for a finals-style affair yesterday when skipper Sam Thaiday declared his side was bracing for another ambush from the Sea Eagles, who bolted out of the blocks to end Brisbane's season 26-14 in last year's preliminary final.
Floundering in seventh, the teetering Broncos are facing a sixth consecutive loss this Friday night, but their hopes of a Brookvale boilover have been boosted by a double-whammy injury blow for the defending premiers.
Broncos coach Anthony Griffin yesterday cancelled a scheduled session to give his troops an extra 24 hours of rest ahead of their season-defining clash against the Sea Eagles.
The Broncos have vivid memories of last year's sudden-death finals clash, when Manly bolted to a 16-0 lead after 20 minutes to end Brisbane's season in their eventual march to the premiership.
But Maroons enforcer Thaiday yesterday insisted no-one at Red Hill was hitting the panic button despite a confidence-sapping five-match losing streak.
"I'm not too nervous about it,'' he said.
"It's tough, it's not a nice place to be in, but we are still enjoying each other's company around the club.
"Manly came out in that semi-final and blew us off the park. We didn't start too well and for the rest of the game we were chasing points and you can't play Manly like that.
"They were three men down on the weekend and they showed great grit and determination from that game.
"It will be a tough thing to do (beat Manly), but we'll go down to Sydney and try and play some footy against them.''
