The Newcastle Knights could be without star hooker Jayden Brailey for up to eight months after he was reported to have suffered a torn Achilles at pre-season training.
The Daily Telegraph are reporting that Brailey will go in for surgery on Wednesday, with The NRL Physio saying it will occur this week.
Jayden Brailey is reportedly preparing for surgery on his achilles injury as soon as this week (via @DaveRic1). Would confirm a likely rupture, the sooner the better for surgery. Video shows how injury occurs, why the hands on testing is so accurate & surgical technique example. pic.twitter.com/YT65TflKXM
— NRL PHYSIO (@nrlphysio) January 16, 2022
The injury is one of the most devastating an NRL player can sustain, alongside ACL injuries.
Shaun Johnson is the most recent high-profile player to have suffered the injury, snapping his Achilles in Round 19 of the 2020 season and not returning until Round 7 of the 2021 season, putting him out for a period of almost eight months.
It's understood Brailey went for scans on Sunday, with those results confirming the hands-on tests, which are normally extremely accurate in the case of an Achilles injury.
Jayden Brailey has been sent for scans after suffering a suspected torn achilles at training (via @telejamesphelps). Unfortunately hands on tests extremely accurate here so scans will likely confirm what the Knights already know. If so would require surgery & 5-8 months recovery
— NRL PHYSIO (@nrlphysio) January 15, 2022
The best possible result is a return in approximately five months, which would see Brailey return sometime around Round 10, when the Knights are due to play the Bulldogs in Magic Round.
If the recovery balloons out to eight months, Brailey may not return until Round 23, effectively ending his season before it begins.
The news is particularly devastating for Brailey, who has spent more time injured than he hasn't since arriving in the Hunter from his former home at the Cronulla Sharks.
His 2020 season was ended in just Round 2 when he suffered an ACL injury, and while he managed 23 games in 2021, 2022 on the sidelines will frustrate the 25-year-old.
The Knights, should they be without the services of Brailey, will likely turn to Chris Randall to play the dummy half role.
He has recently been promoted to a top 30 deal following time on a development contract where he has impressed across 12 games in the last two years.
Oh no, that’s horrible luck for him and the Knights. This means they probably play the season with 2 rookies in their spine and sans a very capable defender. This injury is could literally mean 2-3 places lower on the ladder.