South Sydney Rabbitohs: Bunnies face anxious wait on Jacob Host injury
South Sydney Rabbitohs face an anxious wait to discover the full extent of Jacob Host’s shoulder injury with coach Jason Demetriou fearing the player will need surgery.
The Rabbitohs hung on to beat the New Zealand Warriors 32-30 in a thrilling Magic Round clash on Saturday. However the game ended before it had really begun for Host. The second-rower damaged his shoulder in the first set of the game.
Host looked in agony following a tackle on Warriors star Aaron Pene. He needed help from the trainer to leave the field with a dislocated shoulder. That was game over for Host and scans will be needed to see how bad the damage is.
But speaking after the game Demetriou suggested surgery will be needed.
“I think he’s dislocated his shoulder again,” the coach told reporters. “He’ll have to go see the specialist, more than likely he’ll have surgery.”
South Sydney suffer more injury woe
It is yet another injury blow for Souths who have just lost Cameron Murray. The bunnies skipper has picked up a neck injury and is facing a spell on the sidelines. The NSW ace now faces a race against time to make game one of State of Origin on 8th June.
Meanwhile Souths were relieved to hold on against the Warriors. The game looked in the bag at half-time as they were leading 26-6 before the Warriors came fighting back.
“It got nervy for sure,” Demetriou added. “I thought we had enough points in the bank to hold on and I’m pretty happy the boys got through.
“We’ve been busted the last few weeks with flu running through the place and I knew fatigue was going to be an issue late on.”
Walker shines for Rabbitohs
One of the highlights of the first half for the Rabbitohs was the performance of Cody Walker. He was back to his attacking best when setting up three tries.
Demetriou suggested that Walker raised his game a notch due to the absence of Murray.
“It’s no surprise to me how he played,” Demetriou said. “He’s been having moments like that in the last few weeks, it’s just that little bit more responsibility, I thought he handled it really well. His kicking game was outstanding.”
Souths will be looking to build on the win when they take on the Canberra Raiders next Sunday.