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Who to replace Widdop as captain?

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getsmarty

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Gareth Widdop injury: St George Illawarra Dragons star set for surgery

Written By Tom Naghten
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St George Illawarra have confirmed that captain Gareth Widdop will undergo surgery on his injured right shoulder on Monday night.

Widdop dislocated his shoulder for the third time in 12 months late in the Dragons' one-point win over the Broncos on Thursday.

It's not yet known if the Englishman's season is over, though that was coach Paul McGregor's immediate fear following the match.

MORE: The NRL Lurker: Is Payne Haas the NRL's newest bad boy?

"Widdop's shoulder will be operated on later this evening," a Dragons statement on Monday read.

"The Dragons will provide further information on the status of the England international in the coming days."

McGregor said it was a sad way for Widdop's NRL career to end if the injury was season-ending - the 30-year-old has agreed a contract with the Super League's Warrington following this season.

"It brings a tear to your eye," McGregor told Channel 9 from the Saints' dressing room moments after full-time.

"He's my captain, he's a person who's had everything to do about our success the last few years when we've been playing well.

"And unfortunately he's done his shoulder as bad as he did last year and it's not a good way to finish your career at a club you love."

If he required another shoulder reconstruction he will be sidelined for three-to-six months, meaning it is highly likely Widdop's 118th appearance for the Red V was his last.

The injury soured the Saints' first win of the 2019 campaign as off-season recruit Corey Norman slotted a field goal in the 80th minute to snatch a vital victory.

McGregor has been under fire over his controversial decision to pick Widdop at full-back for the opening three games of the season, with Norman preferred at five-eighth.

The coach confirmed livewire Matt Dufty, who was dropped from the 17-man squad to face the Broncos after coming off the bench in the first two games of the season, will slot straight into the No.1 jersey next Sunday against the Newcastle Knights.


https://www.nospam47.com/au/league/...e-illawarra-dragons/qnbymoqya57410p9ugjv54lyx
 
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getsmarty

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St George Illawarra captain Gareth Widdop undergoes successful surgery
Dragons Den
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Season in doubt: Gareth Widdop is hopeful to return for the Dragons after undergoing a shoulder reconstruction. Picture: AAP Image/Dave Hunt.
St George Illawarra remain upbeat that Gareth Widdop will return for the Dragons this season after the injured skipper underwent a shoulder reconstruction on Monday night.

Widdop dislocated his right shoulder for the third time in eight months in St George Illawarra's one-point victory over the Broncos last Thursday night, with scans on Monday confirming he would need a second shoulder reconstruction.

Widdop underwent a latarjet procedure on Monday night and St George Illawarra head of athletic performance Nathan Pickworth said the expected recovery time is four to five months.

"Typically the recovery from these is about four to five months," Pickworth said. "From this stage, I think it's a bit too early to give a specific return to play time frame for Gareth, but I'm pretty optimistic that Gareth hasn't played the last game for the Dragons."

Coach Paul McGregor has made just one change to the team that beat Brisbane, with Matt Dufty replacing Widdop as fullback for Sunday night's clash with Newcastle.

With doctors previously carrying out an open reconstruction on Widdop last September, it was determined the more intensive latarjet would be carried out this time.

With a failure rate of about two per cent, it is hoped this is the last of Widdop's shoulder injuries.

Read more: Dragons building towards Newcastle clash

"He had a procedure that's called a latarjet reconstruction, so what happens there, they take a piece of bone from elsewhere in his body and they move it into his shoulder to make the socket deeper in the ball and socket joint.

"This is a really stable shoulder reconstruction, they only have about a two per cent failure rate. He's pulled up really well from that, we spoke to the surgeon late last night and the surgeon's really happy with how the procedure went."

Pickworth also provided an update on Tyson Frizell, who suffered a lacerated testicle in the Dragons round one loss to North Queensland.

Frizell remains an outside chance of featuring for St George Illawarra this weekend after he was named 18th man on Tuesday afternoon.

"Friz is coming along really well, he trained really good last week, he had his first team session today, he's bouncing off walls, he's really happy, he's lifting big weights, which is really good for Tys.

"We'll see how he goes the rest of this week and we'll make a more specific determination on his return to play at the end of the week."


https://www.illawarramercury.com.au...ve-gareth-widdop-will-return-in-2019/?cs=3713
 
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getsmarty

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Why Gareth Widdop can still shoulder Dragons' NRL title hope
Local Sport
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Pain barrier: Gareth Widdop comes from the field in the NRL victory over Brisbane at Suncorp Stadium. Picture: AAP Image/Dave Hunt
It's August, 2010 and the noisy hum of celebration rattles around the room.

It makes for an eye-catching contrast.

The hallowed halls and history of the SCG being occupied for exuberant inner-sanctum of a rowdy St George Illawarra squad, coaching and support staff and the corporate types eager to be part of it.

In particular, Nathan Fien is figuratively bouncing off the walls - and with good reason.

Fien has just played his first NRL game since round one when he broke his ankle and the Dragons have just snapped a five-game Roosters winning streak.

In the process launching what would be a run of seven wins in eight games to secure a drought-breaking premiership, beating the Roosters 32-8 in the grand final.

Before Fien's return, the Dragons had the wobbles, losing three of their past four and while they were still on top of the ladder, the serious doubt of past failures was creeping in amongst the fanbase again.

Fien, now Collegians coach in the Illawarra competition, had played a key role as a bench utility, winning eight of the nine games he played that season, only succumbing to the dreaded Canberra curse.

He scored a try in the grand final and generally provided spark with pace and vision around dummy-half, a perfect offset to the iron-willed determination of hooker and lock Dean Young, who was probably the Dragons best player in the finals series.

Fast forward to Thursday night and Gareth Widdop is in agony as another dislocated shoulder strikes.

Injured in round three, the Dragons will be mapping out a program to have Widdop return in August.

Widdop is the captain and leader, but the Dragons are better prepared to handle his absence with Matt Dufty a year older and Corey Norman a valuable ball-player and left-footed kicker. Of course, Game On isn't suggesting the Dragons will lead the competition all year, as they did from round five onwards in 2010.

The Roosters are clearly the benchmark, after dishing out a hiding to Brisbane on Thursday night.

But if coach Paul McGregor can make the Dufty-Norman-Hunt-McInnes combination successful, then Widdop's impact late in the season could yet still make an impact.

And there is a sense of timing - perhaps even fate - that Widdop could have an influence in September before flying home to England.

"Gareth won't be far from everything that happens this year," McGregor said.

"Even thought he won't be on the football, he'll be highly involved in and around training and the coaching side of it.

"He'll be ready when he does come back, that'll be an important boost at an important time."

https://www.illawarramercury.com.au...still-shoulder-dragons-nrl-title-hope/?cs=302
 
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getsmarty

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Dragons confident on Gareth Widdop's shoulder as Jack de Belin's case heads to Federal Court
  • Local Sport
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    Devastated: Dragons captain Gareth Widdop in the moments after suffering another dislocated shoulder in Brisbane last month. Picture: AAP Image

    The Dragons are confident captain Gareth Widdop has not played his final match for the club after undergoing a shoulder reconstruction on Monday night.

    Widdop underwent a Latarjet procedure in Melbourne, where surgeons take a piece of bone from elsewhere in the body and move it into the shoulder to make the socket deeper in the ball and socket joint.

    The procedure has just a two per cent failure rate, with Dragons head of athletic performance Nathan Pickworth saying Widdop had pulled up "really well".

    "We spoke to the surgeon late last night and the surgeon was really happy with how the procedure went," he said.

    "From here, typically the recovery for these is about four to five months. But at this stage I think it's a bit too early to give a specific return to play time frame for Gareth.

    "But I'm pretty optimistic that Gareth hasn't played his last game for the Dragons."

    Widdop dislocated his shoulder for the third time in his last five matches in the win over the Broncos in Brisbane last week.

    The Dragons haven't given up hope of Widdop returning before the finals, with Widdop to be released from the final two years of his contract to join English Super League club Warrington at the end of the season.

    Meanwhile, it will be D-Day for Jack de Belin's bid to return to the NRL on April 15 with the Dragons forward to challenge the NRL's 'no fault' stand-down policy in the Federal Court.

    The three-day hearing will determine if and when de Belin can return to playing for St George Illawarra after the NRL instituted the policy in response to a series of serious off-field incidents over the off-season.

    r390_288_3819_2333_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg

    Jack de Belin training with the Dragons on Thursday morning. Picture: Adam McLean

    De Belin became the first player banned under the protocols after he was charged with aggravated sexual assault in Wollongong in December.

    De Belin pleaded not guilty to the charges in court in February.

    The 27-year-old had initially sought an immediate injunction on the NRL's decision to stand him down, with the matter scheduled to be heard on March 14 - the day the NRL season kicked off.

    De Belin decided not to proceed with that action following advice. If he is successful in court, the Dragons will immediately make him available for selection and could play as early as round six when St George Illawarra host Manly in Wollongong.

    Meanwhile, the Dragons are hopeful Tyson Frizell will be able to return from his lacerated testicle against Newcastle on Sunday night.

    St George Illawarra head to the Hunter to face the Knights and could have Frizell available after the representative forward missed the previous two rounds with the painful injury suffered in the Dragons' season opening loss to North Queensland.

    Frizell had his first training session back with the team on Tuesday and would be a handy inclusion given de Belin's unavailability.




    https://www.theleader.com.au/story/...dop-as-d-day-approaches-for-de-belin/?cs=1633
 
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getsmarty

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Widdop's departure a long goodbye
Dragons Den
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FINAL LAP: Gareth Widdop enjoys a dip in the England camp ahead of the World Nines that kicked off on Friday. Picture: NRL Photos


HE'S a Dragon no more but that feeling is yet to fully sink in for departing skipper Gareth Widdop. The fact he's, as yet, only swapped the red V for the red and white of England for this weekend's World 9s probably doesn't help.

It is a fact, however, that he won't be returning to Wollongong when the end-of-season Test campaign concludes.

Instead, he'll be heading to the UK to take up a rich deal with Super League giants Warrington and only then will it really hit home.

"It has a little bit obviously the last couple of weeks packing things up," Widdop said.

"At the Dragons awards night it hit me a little bit, it was good night and a good send off but, at the end of the day, I don't think it'll really sink in until it's all done and dusted it will.

"I've still been around the boys, I've been training and there's a still a bit of buzz around the Nines and the GB tour so my mind's pretty set on that.

"I think when this [Great Britain] tour's over and I have that bit of time off and it's time to fly it probably will hit me."

The opportunity to link with the Wolves was only made possible when the Dragons agreed to the release their skipper from the final two years of a lucrative deal.

It came as a shock when he first asked for the release in February but, having moved to Melbourne with his family as a teenager, it was a pilgrimage he always planned to make.

"I've always spoken about my journey coming over here as a young kid I never got to play in the Super League," he said.

"All I ever wanted to do was play over there. It's quite funny I suppose, [Englishman] generally grow up in England, play over there and dream about coming over here.

"For myself I've done it the other way around, played in the NRL and dreamed about playing in the Super League.

"I've been very thankful to play over here for 10 years but at some point I always wanted to go back.

"You never really know when it's going to happen but it's something that came up and I'm really looking forward to getting over there while I'm still young and fit and winning trophies."

The latter fact is not a given in the game, something Widdop's become acutely aware of how finite rugby league careers can be after twice dislocating his shoulder.

He admits the first, suffered in his side's finals win over Brisbane last year, factored into his decision to hasten a shift to England.

The second, that required a second surgery and sidelined him for the bulk of his final season with the Dragons only made him more comfortable with the call.

"This last year with the injuries has made me a lot more comfortable with the decision, knowing I'm going now, I'm still feeling good, I'm still feeling fit," he said.

"You never know what happens with injuries, it can finish you really quick. If I wait another couple of years the opportunity might not come up again.

"I didn't want to end up kicking myself."


https://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/6446538/england-tour-a-long-goodbye-for-widdop/?cs=3713
 
S

SaintPeter

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It should be one of the highest honors in Rugby League, but, like every thing else at SGI (in the last few years) it has been compromised,,, with mediocrity as the benchmark.
Come on the board, grow some balls and terminate the coach now!
Give the incoming captain a chance.
Rant over.
 
B

BLM01

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slippery5 said:
Yep Frizz probably not around long enough to be long term choice..
Click to expand...
A fully fit and firing Tariq Sims would be my choice
......just before Frizz or Cam because they are both captain whisperers...I could never see either of them getting fired up enough to argue as a captain or tell players off
 
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