Joey sidelined in night of carnageBy Greg Prichard
March 28, 2004
The Sun-Herald
Johns is carried off the field at Parramatta Stadium. Picture: JON REID
EELS 38 KNIGHTS 34
The world came crashing down for superstar Andrew Johns and his Newcastle team last night, when the game's greatest player suffered a knee injury that will force him out for the season.
Johns tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee when he propped to change direction as he ran the ball against Parramatta in the 21st minute.
He will require scans to confirm the extent of the injury, but Newcastle spokesman Steve Crowe said the initial medical examination by Knights club doctor Peter McGeoch left no hope.
"Joey is shattered," Crowe said. "It's shocking luck for him after what he's been through with injuries in the last few years."
As if one player sustaining a torn ACL wasn't bad enough, the Knights were hit again in the second half, when fullback David Seage went down with the same injury to his left knee. Seage, too, faces a reconstruction.
The injuries to Johns and Seage were major aspects of a drama-charged match that was won by the Eels with a 76th-minute try to centre Junior Langi.
Video referee Mick Stone had been the subject of sustained abuse from Parramatta fans after awarding a try to Knights five-eighth turned replacement for Johns at halfback, Kurt Gidley, in the 71st minute.
Second-rower Daniel Abraham's conversion put the Knights in front, 34-32, but then Langi crossed the try line along the ground in a tackle.
Again it was a decision for Stone, who ruled Langi had crossed with momentum before planting the ball.
Parramatta held on to win from there, ensuring that the night was a complete disaster for Newcastle.
Hooker John Morris displayed expert opportunism to post Parramatta's first try in the fourth minute.
With the Knights ruck defence in disarray following a bullocking run from Eels prop Michael Vella, Morris took off from dummy half, seven metres out, and made it to the line in a tackle.
Fullback Luke Burt converted from in front and the Eels were up 6-0.
Second-rower Ben Kennedy forced a pass in the seventh minute that went to ground five metres out from the Parramatta line.
The loose ball was snapped up by Eels second-rower Nathan Hindmarsh.
Barely 60 seconds later the Eels were in for their second try after second-rower Nathan Cayless charged it up, got halfway through a tackle and passed superbly for Burt, who turned Knights fullback Seage inside out in a 20m run to the line.
Burt converted to make it 12-0 and he added a penalty goal to bump the lead out to 14-0 in the 14th minute.
Newcastle hooker Danny Buderus was clearly well aware Parramatta's goal-line defence had been poor against Brisbane last weekend, despite the Eels winning, and he sensed a great opportunity when he went to dummy half five metres out from the Parramatta line in the 17th minute.
Buderus took off and beat a tackle to score and Johns converted to cut the deficit to eight points.
Knights second-rower Abraham took over the goalkicking after Johns left the field and he landed a penalty goal to further reduce Parramatta's lead to 14-8 in the 25th minute.
The Eels bounced back in the 30th minute when winger Ronald Prince scored in the corner to make it 18-8, but another Abraham penalty goal and another Buderus try - again taking advantage of poor goal-line defence - followed by an Abraham conversion and the Knights were down by just two points with two minutes left in the half.
Newcastle would have been reasonably happy with that, but the Eels made sure the half finished on a poor note for the visitors when centre Vaealiki scored off a bomb that Eels halfback Adam Dykes put up as the half-time siren sounded.
Burt missed with the conversion attempt, but Parramatta went to the break leading 22-16.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/03/27/1080330993010.html?from=storyrhs
