From today's Rugby Union Times
Drew stunned by his Raiders recall
By Peter Fitzgerald
Wednesday, 21 July 2004
Plucked from obscurity, Canberra Raiders utility Brad Drew is set to return to the top grade this weekend as questions remain about captain Simon Woolford's injured shoulder.
Drew hasn't played first grade since the Raiders defeated the Sharks in June, the same week he announced he would be leaving the club at the end of the year to take up a two-year deal with the Huddersfield Giants in the English Super League.
It was in the Sharks match the stocky 29-year-old first injured his calf.
He had been selected in the Raiders' Premier League outfit to take on the Bulldogs in Gosford the following week but was a late withdrawal as a result of injury.
Drew has only played half a match since - again for the Premier League side against Balmain on July 3, but re-injured his calf that afternoon.
The announcement of Drew's return was even a shock to player himself.
"I didn't even know I was on the bench," Drew said when asked about his selection yesterday. "I still haven't been cleared by the physio yet so I suppose I've got to get through this week of training first and see how the calf pulls up."
A decision on what role Drew will play in Sunday's must-win home match against the Warriors won't be known until the fitness of Woolford is confirmed.
The skipper was unable to train yesterday. Instead, he had an ultrasound on his shoulder, which he injured during Saturday night's 42-8 loss to the Panthers.
Woolford also had X-rays on his shoulder on Monday, results showing he is suffering from bruising to his shoulder.
There was no evidence of major structural damage.
Raiders coach Matt Elliott is hopeful both Woolford and Drew will be able to take their place on the field for Sunday's game.
"We probably got caught out a little bit on the weekend when we did lose Simon and we just didn't have any hooker cover," he said. "Brad certainly gives us a lot of versatility off the bench.
"I'm still optimistic both will be fine."
Drew completed his first full-strength training session in five weeks yesterday but was happy with the way his injured calf handled it.
"It was a good session - a lot of running to test it out a bit," he said. "[The calf] feels okay at this stage but we'll just have to wait and see how it goes for the rest of the week."
With the possibility Woolford may not play, Elliott was not prepared to confirm exactly how his side would line-up on Sunday.
Halfback Mark McLinden is still recovering from the flu, which hampered his performance against Penrith last weekend.
Youngster Todd Carney was also named on a five-man bench as back-up, but Elliott is reluctant to use Carney too much in first grade this season.
"I don't see Todd as hooker cover at this stage of his career," Elliott said. "He's only just 18 and I don't really want to be whacking him in the engine room at this stage. There's other players to come into the scene if Simon is unavailable."
