Victor Radley is set to take a month off from his latest head knock while Knights livewire Fletcher Sharpe has been hospitalised with a lacerated kidney suffered in Saturday’s last-gasp upset of the Dolphins.
Radley met with a concussion specialist on Friday after his fifth HIA of the season continued a worrying history of head knocks for the Roosters enforcer.
Radley came off following what appeared reasonably innocuous head contact while tackling Newcastle’s Fletcher Hunt in round 14, though actually passed his subsequent HIA.
Roosters medical staff made the call to rule Radley out of the Knights game in any case.
Radley has only failed one HIA this year - when he was knocked out against Brisbane in round one - but has had several concerning concussion incidents over the years, including a 2022 collision that left him convulsing on the turf against Melbourne.
Along with the Roosters round 16 clash against North Queensland and the subsequent bye, Radley is likely to be stood down on July 6 when the Roosters host Wests Tigers.
Victor Radley will miss a month of play for the Roosters.Credit: Getty Images
No return date has been set for Radley at this point but the 27-year-old has been in good spirits at Roosters HQ this week.
“He’s gone through some really good testing with some specialists and he’s on a really clear plan over the next few weeks,” Robinson said.
“He’ll follow the plans of the doctors and he’ll be back when he’s ready to be back.”
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Sharpe, meanwhile, has remained in a Perth hospital receiving treatment for a kidney laceration while his teammates travelled home on Sunday.
The rising Knights five-eighth was floored in the 48th minute after an awkward tackle by Jeremy Marshall-King as the pair chased a chip kick by Sharpe.
Sharpe was initially taken off for a HIA but reported abdominal pain to Newcastle medical staff as well, before requiring further treatment at hospital.
He will remain under observation in WA this week, with return to play times for kidney lacerations dependent on the extent of damage.
Several players have returned within 4-6 weeks from similar injuries over the years, with Sharpe’s immediate absence bringing Jackson Hastings back into contention for Saturday’s clash against Canberra. Utility Tyson Gamble also returned from a broken thumb in reserve grade on the weekend.
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