NRL Injury Ward: Turuva will not play in the Bowl final
Due to a persistent calf injury, Fijian winger Sunia Turuva will be absent from Sunday’s Pacific Bowl championship game versus Papua New Guinea.
During Week 2 of the Pacific Championships, Turuva was hurt while trying to score a try against the Cook Islands.
As he did the previous weekend, Super League speedster Jason Qareqare enters the game on the wing, while Dragons winger Mikaele Ravalawa moves into the centers.
Better news for the Bati: Kitione Kautoga, who also missed last week’s match against PNG due to a back ailment, has been added to the bench to recover.
While Mackenzie Yei (knee) and Mesake Ravonu (head knock) will miss the Bowl final, center Rodrick Tai of the Kumuls is back in the lineup following a knee injury.
Connelly Lemuelu, a forward for the Dolphins, had a knee injury while traveling with Toa Samoa for the Pacific Championships. He will undergo more testing on the knee.
Although the 25-year-old “was never going to play” against New Zealand due to the severity of his injury, Samoa coach Ben Gardiner said he didn’t think it would prevent him from returning to preseason training.
Dom Young, a recent addition to the New Roosters, will not play in England’s Test series against Tonga due to a sinus ailment that required hospitalization.
Young is reported to be on the mend and is expected to make a full recovery in time for his new club’s 2024 season opener in Las Vegas.
Penrith five-eighth Jarome Luai has had surgery on the shoulder he dislocated late in the season before bravely returning to play in the preliminary final and premiership decider.
In further NRL news the Dragons report that fullback Tyrell Sloan suffered an ankle injury playing in the Koori Knockout and will be in rehab until mid-December but won’t miss any games in 2024.
Fellow Dragons Jaydn Su’A and Jack Bird are both recovering from shoulder injuries but are on track to return to pre-season training and will be good to go by the time the trial games roll around in February.
