Ben Matulino

[RHYTHM AND STEALTH]

after successful surgery on his knee from his injury it was rehabbing well mutts went down at training yesterday injuring his other knee. mri today. fingers crossed

 

[JJ]

Would be a huge loss

 

[Rich102]

The Vodafone Warriors have today confirmed that prop Ben Matulino will miss the start of the 2017 NRL season due to a knee complaint which requires surgery.
The Kiwis international has had a disrupted pre-season after having an operation on his right knee in September, ruling him out of contention for last year’s Four Nations tournament in England.
Matulino then experienced discomfort in his left knee during training following the Christmas break and after seeking medical advice, he will have an operation in the coming days.
Vodafone Warriors head of athletic performance Balin Cupples said it was an unfortunate setback but that surgery was certainly the right option at this point in the pre-season.
“Unfortunately, Ben injured his left knee at training and it was determined that surgical management would provide the best outcome for him at this stage of the season,” he said.
“It is expected he will return to play early in the 2017 season.”
The news is a blow to new coach Stephen Kearney’s plans for the season ahead but he said it was important for Matulino to get the right treatment.
“It’s disappointing but we are taking a long-term view here,” he said.
“It makes sense to get the knee sorted now. Naturally, Ben’s disappointed but he’ll work hard on his rehab and will undoubtedly be a wonderful addition to the team once he’s recovered.”

Warriors email.

 

[ozbash]

Be a loss but we have decent cover..

 

[RHYTHM AND STEALTH]

mmm
No return date set, thats what worries me. Usually you get the odd he will be ready by round blah blah comment.
The negative to this is Gubb goes up a peg

 

[Cold Roses]

Massive loss. We're going to start the season missing a big piece of our size and go forward. With any luck, hopefully someone will step up and take their chance. Someone who isn't Charlie Gubb.

 

[Cold Roses]

The negative to this is Gubb goes up a peg

Unless Sipley leapfrogs him up the pecking order.

 

[ozbash]

Agree, we have a couple of good young guys coming through.. Sipley, Ogden,Bunty,Vete, Lisone and Gubby..

 

[KeepingTheFaith]

Not good. Up to the youngsters to mature quickly.

We've got an aging Lillyman and a bunch of youngsters who are yet to prove they can be dominant up front or even gain parity consistently for extended periods.

Games aren't won on potential. Time to step up.

 

[RHYTHM AND STEALTH]

Knights
Storm
Dogs
Dragons
Titans

Our first 5 games. IMO knights pack are a pushover. Storm pack are clinical. Everyone knows the role they provide and everyone executes. Dogs pack is big although not as big as last season. Dragons pack are plodders at best, Titans pack get better every season.
If Matulino is missing for those games our young gun forwards have to dominate round 1 to get confidence for when they play the Storm. If they can dominate storms pack then look out

 

[jaseg]

Dragons pack are plodders? I don't think so.. they've got 99 problems but the pack ain't one etc - that group usually get their job done, unlike ours all too often - and they've now added Vaughan, and their young guys are another year closer (they have a similarly impressive group of young middles to us). Knights have some similar problems to us (now that we have Matulino out) in the pack. Dogs will beat us in the middle easily, Storm will also but only need something close to parity anyway. Titans... depends on their Jekyll & Hyde captain. If James has one of his good games, then they'll do us. If James has one of his bad games, then it could go either way.

We don't have good depth (nobody does), and Bunty/Ogden aren't suited for the middle in NRL.. they're going to be edge forwards at the top level... not really cover for Matulino, and I've said this too many times here now but ffs we've already got too many edge forwards in the team.

If we had done the smart thing and jettisoned some of our very average fringe squad middles (Gubb) and brought in some better looking fringe guys (Vaivai, Page, Papalii) we'd at least have more competition. Or the other smart thing and spent the Foran money on Paul Vaughan (or moved one or more others on... Tui, Bodene etc to cleary money for Vaughan) - and/or brought in Siosaia Vave (but that would require us to identify underrated quality...). As I see it now we're probably going to end up playing the start of the season with a pack of 4 edge forwards (Mannering Bodene Hoff Bunty), Lillyman, Vete, Lisone & Gubb (maybe Sipley? but with Cappy still here...).

Christ. Let's hope Vete/Lisone/Sipley have been putting in the hard yards..

 

[RHYTHM AND STEALTH]

Agree mostly Jase
Kearney has coached with and coached against the Storm and more importantly cam smith for years now. If we slow the ruck to pedestrian speed (also depend on who refs) and lay all over their forwards so Smith gets slow ball we will be fine. If we can run the dogs forwards around again we should be fine.
Kearney might go for the Lillyman and Gavet at 8 and 10 and Vete 13 to play in the middle third like Cappy did.
I just hope Charlie Mudd stays outta the 17 ffs

 

[Penrose Warrior]

Be a loss but we have decent cover..

Do we?

I'm hugely worried. At the moment, our pack is now Lillyman/Vete/Lisone/Gubb/Gavey or Sipley whoever. Lillyman has been great for us but he is not a line bender, a pack leader - he's an honest worker. Vete will need to step up real fast and in all honesty he's probably 1-2 years away. Lisone is too small and an error machine, who thinks he's better than he is. Gubb, well it's documented how much of a plod he is. Gavet didn't show much last year either.

Sipley is the one that pisses me off the most. Our ex stupor coach who is still on the payroll f**ked up completely by not giving him more exposure last year. If he had've, Sipley would be closer to being the NRL player he can become. He's a potential gun who now has to play and get up to speed, when that should've happened in 2016. Either that or Kearney will deem he isnt ready because McFudd didn't expose him.

The Knights game is a gimme but this injury makes our dream draw a lot less encouraging.

 

[Cold Roses]

Do we?

Vete will need to step up real fast and in all honesty he's probably 1-2 years away.

Agree with pretty much your entire post apart from this. I see Vete going up a gear under Kearney. SK will simplify his role and set him game targets to achieve.

With any luck Lillyman will display his usual 'playing for an Origin Jersey' early season form.

Beyond that, we're definitely looking a bit thin.

 

[Penrose Warrior]

I absolutely rate and am a big fan of Albert so I hope you're right, and he's definitely got the ability. Needs to change his running style and become a better defender, but I hear he's a pro in the way he goes about it so I trust he'll get there.

Jake always gives his all for the Warriors but he's just not a No.1 prop in an NRL rotation. When you talk about No.1 guys, you talk about Graham, Woods, Bromwich, or the next tier like James etc. Lillyman isn't that. He's great as a fourth prop for QLD, because he makes 8-9m or so every carry with consistency, doesn't miss tackles. But has no offload, doesn't bend the line or attract defenders. He's not a follow me sort of guy who'll take the first hit up, smash into it and say 'that's us boys' - which a side like us could do with. I like him but he's aging and he's definitely not a pack leader, more a role player.

 

[WellsNZ]

Knights
Storm
Dogs
Dragons
Titans

Our first 5 games. IMO knights pack are a pushover. Storm pack are clinical. Everyone knows the role they provide and everyone executes. Dogs pack is big although not as big as last season. Dragons pack are plodders at best, Titans pack get better every season.
If Matulino is missing for those games our young gun forwards have to dominate round 1 to get confidence for when they play the Storm. If they can dominate storms pack then look out

I think the Dragons have one of the better packs in the comp, they were pretty good last year and been further bolstered for this one. I'd take their lot over the Warriors lot for sure. Not top tier, but certainly nothing to scoff at.

 

[spear tackle]

If Vete can go up a gear under Kearny (I'm sure he can) , he played out of his skin in 2016, canl't say the same for Ben, looked like he was just doing enough to hang in there at times.

 

[Fufu Andronez]

WARRIORS prop Ben Matulino may face further time on the sidelines for the Auckland-based NRL side after suffering a post-surgery infection. The 28-year-old New Zealand international underwent surgery on his left knee in early January, only three months after a procedure on his right knee. However he has since experienced post-surgery complications and was wearing an antibiotic pack on his arm at Wednesday’s NRL season launch.

He was already expected to miss the early stages of the 2017 NRL campaign, starting on Sunday week against Newcastle, but may now remain out longer. Players such as Sam Lisone, Charlie Gubb and Albert Vete are expected to fill in alongside veteran Jacob Lillyman during Matulino’s absence.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...n/news-story/3501d08880fbd38c62719f6d33c33cf5

 

[RHYTHM AND STEALTH]

Dodgy at best from the tele

Ill wait till Doyle releases a statment

 

[Cold Roses]

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/league/news/article.cfm?c_id=79&objectid=11823459

Meanwhile, sidelined front-rower Ben Matulino is nearing full fitness, after battling a post-operative infection contracted following knee surgery in January.

The infection hindered the 28-year-old's rehabilitation, but he has progressed well in recent weeks and will have a fitness test this weekend.

"He's not too far [off]," said Kearney. "He's coming along better than anticipated, given that he had an infection not long after his surgery.

"He'll have a run on it this weekend, so in terms of time, I'm not 100 per cent sure yet."