The NRL world has been left shattered by a second season-ending Achilles rupture in 24 hours after Canberra’s NSW Origin star Hudson Young went down in a 34-24 win over South Sydney.
A day after Melbourne’s Will Warbrick was left in tears when he suffered the injury in his side’s loss to the Roosters, Young was clearly devastated when he was hurt on his first step out of the defensive line.
The 28-year-old watched the remaining 25 minutes from the bench behind coach Ricky Stuart.
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“We never like to see this,” Luke Keary said in commentary on Fox Sports.
“We see calves… I don’t want to say it, but sometimes Achilles can go like that. This does not look good.”
Keary added later: “It’s a little bit of a sombre mood. It’s a devastating injury for the Canberra Raiders, for Australia at the end of this season.”
Young, who was quickly given a moon boot and crutches, is now out of contention for the Rugby League World Cup later this year.
He was a key figure in the Kangaroos’ Ashes win over England last year and was set for a big role in the showpiece World Cup on home soil.
“He was very prominent in the success of the side and was very instrumental with the Blues winning the (Origin) series,” Australia coach Kevin Walters.
“That’s devastating for Hudson and the Raiders but also for Australia, he would’ve been in that side.
“I don’t know a lot about the Achilles injury but it’s very painful for Hudson in the next few months in his recovery. It’s a tough injury, from what we’ve been told, to come back from.”
Young’s teammates hung on without him despite a Rabbitohs rally as the late run of last year’s minor premiers at an unlikely finals berth went into overdrive with a third consecutive victory.
But the uphill battle to make the top eight will be even tougher now without Young.
“Saves tries, scores them, he’s a damn good player,” Cooper Cronk said.
The Raiders spine was in scintillating form in a five-try first half blitz to lead 28-6 at half-time.
Fullback Kaeo Weekes, halves Ethan Strange and Ethan Sanders and dynamo hooker Owen Pattie were too quick between the ears and across the ground for the Rabbitohs.
It was the most first half points by the Raiders against the Rabbitohs since 1996.
After their Round 16 loss to Melbourne the Raiders were in 16th and eight points outside the top eight.
Now, whatever the results this round, they will finish Round 20 on 20 points and just four points behind the eighth-placed team and still in with a shot at playing finals.
Strange is an electrifying ball runner and it was his giant left foot step on Rabbitohs half Ashton Ward, followed by a typically robust tackle bust through David Fifita, that set up Pattie under the sticks.
The Raiders were in true Green Machine mode for their second try that went through a dazzling 11 sets of hands. Young finished it with a freakish pick-up low down.
Ward, who recently inked a two-year extension, scored an individual try with a show-and-go close to the line before a Strange intercept and burst was brilliantly finished by Weekes in a 90m play.
Pattie’s speed out of dummy-half was the catalyst for barnstorming second-rower Noah Martin to crash over. Sanders landed a 40/20 and Weekes added a second.
The Rabbitohs, who remain in sixth position, started the second half with more intent with talisman Cody Walker sending winger Alex Johnston in for his 20th try of the season.
Captain Cameron Murray steamed onto Ward’s pass and the margin was just 10.
Raiders winger Jed Stuart swooped on a loose pass when the Rabbitohs looked like scoring and raced the length to score.
Walker scored his side’s third try of the second half after he appeared to knock on in the leadup but the Raiders hung on to move to 11th on the ladder.
— with AAP
