Storm stars Jahrome Hughes and Harry Grant are in serious doubt for next Thursday night’s blockbuster clash against Brisbane that could determine whether they finish in the top four.
Storm broke away from a stubborn Gold Coast Titans side at AAMI Park on Saturday to seal a 37-16 victory.
The win saw the long-awaited return of star Ryan Papenhuyzen, but it also came at a high cost with Hughes (knee) and Grant (shoulder) a concern with finals just around the corner.
Storm coach Craig Bellamy said the club was hopeful Hughes’ injury was not serious, but said he was unlikely to face the Broncos.
Storm: Round 26
“It looks like he’s got a slight medial, they don’t think it’s too bad,” Bellamy said post-match.
“I wouldn’t imagine he’ll play next week as it’s a five-day turnaround.
“I think he’ll go for a scan tomorrow and they’ll have a look at that.
“With how it happened and how he feels now, I don’t think they think there’s a whole heap of damage.
“I couldn’t imagine him playing next week with a five-day turnaround.”
Grant copped a knock to his shoulder and is also in doubt depending on how he pulled up.
Welcome back Paps!
“He was sore, he looked like he was going to come off at one stage, which is a big call for him as he is a tough little b…..d ,” he said.
“We’ll just check that, and again I don’t think that’s too serious as he ended up finishing the game.
“We’ll check that as the week goes on, but with a five-day turnaround you’d rather have a few more days for him to recover.”
Bellamy admitted Grant’s availability could depend somewhat on other results this round as Storm fights for a top-four spot and the cherished double chance in the finals.
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“It could do, depending on what happens tomorrow (on Sunday),” he said.
“It will have some sort of influence on the decision, but it won’t be the whole decision.
“There’s no point playing those guys if they’re not capable of playing or doing their job.”
The Storm coach again played Grant off the bench on Saturday, with Bronson Garlick starting at hooker.
Bellamy said he would take a horses for courses approach going forward into September.
“We’ve done that the last two home games mainly because we’ve thought it was the best thing for the team,” he said.
“We’ll continue to do that…we know he can play 80 minutes but it’s handy to put Bronson on there and it takes a bit of an edge off so Harry can hopefully do this stuff a little bit easier.
“It might depend on who we play and what the situation is.”
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