Troy's comfortably numb Picker to make Raiders debut
Sam Worthington
Canberra Raiders prop Troy Thompson should miss just one or two NRL matches after scans yesterday showed minor damage to his injured left shoulder. Thompson, 27, was forced from the field during Saturday's 32-6 loss to the Manly Sea Eagles and feared the numbing injury would mean another reconstruction after undergoing off-season surgery on the shoulder.
However scans instead revealed nerve damage and the 91-game veteran is now expected to be available for the round-four match against the Parramatta Eels on April 7.
"It's very pleasing actually, it would have been a pain in the bum sitting on the sideline watching the boys play," Thompson said.
A member of the Raiders' leadership group, Thompson will today consult with club medical staff to further examine the injury.
"They just said that's why your shoulder feels weak and why you can't move it," he said.
"It's all intact where I got reconstructed, which is a good sign. Hopefully it'll only be one or two weeks I'll be out for. I was quite surprised because the shoulder feels worse than what it did when I had the reconstruction."
Raiders coach Neil Henry yesterday named an 18-man squad to play the Melbourne Storm at Canberra Stadium on Saturday night.
NRL rookie Joe Picker and back rower Alan Rothery replace Thompson and Neville Costigan in the squad, the Raiders yesterday accepting a one-match ban for Costigan's dangerous throw on Manly hooker Michael Monaghan.
"It's unfortunate because there didn't seem to be too much in it but we can't argue with the fact that he did put Michael Monaghan in a dangerous position so we'll cop that for the week," Henry said.
Centre Phil Graham is battling a sternum injury and is in doubt to start the Melbourne match.
If Graham is ruled unfit, Henry will again shuffle his backline, replacing Marshall Chalk with William Zillman at fullback and moving Chalk into the centres.
The 46-year-old coach said the Raiders would follow the Wests Tigers' lead against Melbourne, who on Friday targeted converted five-eighth Greg Inglis.
"It's just about making him do a bit more work," he said. "Playing out in the centres or at fullback, he's not going to get the defence that he'll get playing where he is now."
"Most sides will be no different and he'll have to make his fair share of defence on Saturday night.
"If we can throw a few people at him it might take the edge off him in his attack."
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