Jumper jinxed: Bulldogs prop Asotasi
Sunday Sep 17 17:59 AEST
Injured Bulldogs prop Roy Asotasi's chances of taking on Brisbane in Friday night's NRL preliminary final against Brisbane will be determined by a visit to a knee specialist on Tuesday. His chances of running out in his usual No.10 jumper appear slim either way.
Asotasi is convinced No.10 is cursed, believing it ruined former Bulldogs skipper Steve Price's finals campaign in 2004 and almost put paid to his dreams of finishing his stint at the club with a grand final win.
The South Sydney-bound prop hasn't played since suffering a grade two medial ligament tear in the round 24 loss to the Broncos, but looks set to complete a remarkable recovery and take to the paddock for Friday night's re-match.
Lock Reni Maitua also looks likely to play after his knee also worked fine during this morning's training session.
"I feel pretty confident at the moment but it's still a 50-50 chance," Asotasi said.
"I've got to see the specialist. He's the main guy that is going to give me the green light.
"The medical staff's pretty confident, I'm confident in myself that I could be a late inclusion for the end of the week."
Anyone in doubt as to Asotasi's determination to play need only have turned up to Belmore Oval over the past couple of days.
While the rest of his teammates were given Friday and Saturday off, Asotasi continued to work through his recovery, running up and down the sidelines at the Bulldogs training base as an under 13s game was played.
He said he would be happy to start or come off the bench against the Broncos, as long as he didn't have to wear the No.10 jumper.
"I definitely don't want to be wearing the No.10...Pricey had it and it was jinxed before so I don't want to be wearing that," said Asotasi, referring to the knee injury which rubbed Price out of the club's 2004 grand final triumph.
"I have worn it for a while but Pricey wore it last time in the semi-finals and that didn't do him any good.
"I wouldn't want to wear it, I'll be letting Folksy know I do not want to wear it, but if we do get to the grand final I'd definitely like to wear it.
"I think it's just a superstition...I don't care, any (other) number will do me."
Coach Steve Folkes said he would be guided by the specialists report on Tuesday but backed both Asotasi and Maitua to overcome their injuries.
"If I was a betting man, which I'm not, I'd say they'll both play," Folkes said.
"Reni's more a chance than Roy.
"They're both confident and the mindset's really important, they did some agility stuff this morning and came through that really well and Roy's really positive, no-one knows his body better than him."
Folkes said he was unsure how to accommodate both Maitua and Asotasi into his pack with Sonny Bill Williams set to be retained in the forwards after playing most of the season out in the backs.
AAP 2006
