Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs boss Phil Gould has lifted the lid on the scary scenes shown on Saturday night when skipper Stephen Crichton was stretchered off the field.
The Samoan international remained on the ground after a Raiders' late tackle attempt left him with numbing problems, spreading fear throughout the rugby league world for the Bulldogs star.
Miraculously, Crichton was given the green light to return to Bulldogs training, avoiding any major injury in the club's 40-16 loss against the Canberra Raiders.
The 25-year-old was astonishingly named in the reserves for this weekend's do-or-die clash against the Tigers, but whether he will play is still uncertain.
Gould revealed details of the scary moment Crichton went down on Saturday and detailed some positive news for the Bulldogs' fight into the Top 8 for September.
"I just think the way that he was hit there was an extension of his arm, pulled down, maybe stretched the nerve a little bit there, and he got numbness and a burn down his arm, and he went down,” Gould said on Wide World of Sports' Six Tackles with Gus.
“When the doctor got out there, and he [Crichton] explained his symptoms to the doctor, the doctor said ‘don't move ', and he said ‘no, I'll get up, I'm OK' and the doctor said ‘don't move'… that's when they put him on the medi-cab."
Gould also declared that his superstar half was “up and walking” in the locker room shortly after being escorted off the field, while also asking "to be named in the squad” for their game against the Tigers.
Given Crichton's troubled year with injury, the Bulldogs are expected to take a careful approach and wrap him in cotton wool for the time being.
But with their season on the line, the club may want to roll the dice and select Crichton as a late inclusion to bolster the side in their race for the finals, given he makes it through to the captain's run.
“The doctor said he was being cautious. I don't think you can be overly cautious in that sort of situation given his history; I think the doctor was mindful that maybe there'd been a bad knock there,” Gould added.
“The minute the medi-cab got into the dressing room, they turned around, and Crichton got up off the table. He sat up straight away himself.
“He walked around after that. Now, he's been sore, and it's obviously going to be painful, but the MRI thankfully showed no deterioration since the last time, and the injury itself is very much manageable. He did train yesterday, no contact ... I saw him out there just doing the passing drills and everything like that.
“He's a very tough and resilient young man.”
Gould also explained Crichton's history with back problems, which came directly into focus as soon as he was sent for scans after a Raiders tackle attempt left burning sensations down his body.
Although he conceded that it's nothing out of the ordinary for NRL players, who constantly put their bodies on the line week in, week out.
“(Crichton) does have a couple of very minor bulging discs, nothing that's impacting on the spinal column,” he said.
“It's not dangerous. Plenty of players would have similar results out there. It's something that needs to be treated and looked after, obviously, but most players have wear and tear injuries like that ... they've just got to manage their loads and be careful.
“Full credit to the medical team; they put player welfare before the team and made sure that he was looked after.”
Viliame Kikau joins Crichton on the bench as he nears a return from a pec injury sustained in Round 8.
The Bulldogs sit in 11th with seven wins and nine losses in their campaign this year, but have to essentially win every game until the end of the season to remain in the fight for a finals spot.
They will look to bounce back firmly from a deflating loss against the Raiders when they host the Tigers on Saturday.
