Dom Young says he is “all good” after a crusher tackle sent him to hospital in the Sydney Roosters’ NRL pre-season defeat of Manly.
Toff Sipley, the Manly prop who made that tackle, has received a three-game suspension and is set to miss the season opener against South Sydney in Las Vegas.
Young appeared in discomfort but was able to walk from the field after the shot from Sipley, who bent his neck into an awkward position during Saturday’s second half.
Wearing a neck brace, Young left Central Coast Stadium on a stretcher in the back of an ambulance, though the Roosters said those measures were precautionary.
The English international has since taken to Instagram to provide an update on his condition.
“I’m all good. Appreciate all the messages!” said Young, who was playing his first game since joining the Roosters from Newcastle in the off-season.
After he was placed on report by referee Peter Gough, Sipley received a grade two crusher tackle charge from the match review committee on Sunday.
With an early guilty plea, he will miss three matches, ruling him out of Manly’s historic clash in Las Vegas as well as games against the Roosters and Parramatta.
Sipley would almost certainly have been part of the 17 for the match at Allegiant Stadium on March 3 and risks missing an additional game by fighting the charge.
His absence looms as a blow to a Sea Eagles side that struggled in the middle of the park last season and is already missing the injured Matt Lodge long-term.
“I thought it was accidental and didn’t look good,” Roosters coach Trent Robinson said of Sipley’s tackle.
“There was a lot of force at that point.”
Robinson was tight-lipped as to whether Sipley should have been sent to the sin bin for the shot.
“I don’t know what their (the referees) thought process is during the trial games … so I don’t really have an opinion on that apart from exactly how it was,” he said.
“It wasn’t intentional, but it was a lot of force on his neck.”
The Roosters hoped sending Young straight to hospital on Saturday would increase his chances of getting scans back by the time the side flew to the US next week.
AAP