Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon fears the worst for young star Jesse Colquhoun, who was forced off the field after just seven minutes of his first NRL game of the year on Friday night with a serious knee injury caused by a broken foot.
Colquhoun, 22, has suffered a number of injuries and suffered serious foot injuries in the 2023 and 2024 test matches against the Bulldogs.
Friday’s game against the Wests Tigers is the latest setback, with scans showing the severity of the injury, with Fitzgibbon admitting it is most likely a torn cruciate ligament.
“It’s not looking good for Jesse. That was probably the toughest part of the night,” he said after the 58-6 win.
“I don’t think people realise how good this kid is going to be. We have such high hopes for him but he’s had two years of trials with a broken foot which meant he missed the first half of both years.
“Now he has to go through this and it doesn’t look good. When I see how he’s overcome the other two injuries – and they were serious – then I have no doubt he’ll get through this. His future looks bright.”
Colquhoun’s injury comes just days after star halfback Nicho Hynes suffered a serious ankle injury in training, but any fears that his absence would spell the end of their top-four hopes appear premature after Cronulla’s attacking performance on Friday.
Braydon Trindall and Daniel Atkinson combined for three assists, with Atkinson making a breakthrough in the third minute, while his halfback put the icing on the cake with the last try of the game to add to his nine goals.
It will be a big task for them to build on what they showed against the basement kids, but Trindall is confident they have the chemistry to keep it up.
“It was disappointing to see Nicho out during the week, but that’s football,” he said.
“You can’t think about these things when they happen. We tried to take the positives from it and ‘Ako’ delivered when he came into the team. It was great to see how well he played.
“It’s fantastic to play with him. He’s always on board when the team needs something.”
The next few weeks could be the most important of Trindall’s young career as he continues to fight to regain the trust of his teammates after being suspended for driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol earlier this year.
Trindall was withdrawn after failing an away test and missing a number of Sharks games, but he is ready to make the most of his second chance.
“I’m just looking forward to playing good football and regaining the trust of the team and the club,” he said.
“I will just do my best in the coming weeks.
“They have supported me all this time and that’s why I want to repay them by playing good football.”