Season likely over: Surgery an option for hamstrung Tigers young gun
Playing in his first match since May 23, when he strained his hamstring against Essendon in round 12, the 18-year-old injured the hamstring again in the opening minutes of Saturday's match.
The Tigers are not expected to know the recovery program until Monday when the full extent of the injury is revealed, but it is unlikely Lalor will play again in 2025.
The No.1 draft pick showed his prodigious talent in his first 10 matches, but repeat hamstring injuries means the Tigers will need to undertake a rigorous assessment of the issue to ensure the problem is solved before he appears next.
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Coach Adem Yze said Lalor's injury flattened teammates and coaches, but the club would support him through the disappointment.
'I think the mechanism's something that it's hard to train. So yeah, it looks like a bad one, which is really disappointing,' Yze said.
'We've got to help him through that. We don't want this to happen again. We want him to have a long career without these little hiccups.'
Jacob Bauer suffered a suspected ACL injury in the VFL on Sunday in Geelong to top off a bad weekend on the injury front for Richmond.
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The Advertiser
an hour ago
- The Advertiser
No ban for tackle that sidelined Brandon Smith again
Matt Lodge has been cleared of any foul play on Brandon Smith, with the Manly prop admitting he would have been distraught if his tackle ruptured the hooker's ACL again. Smith is expected to miss up to eight weeks with a torn medial ligament, after Lodge fell on the back of his leg in his comeback game with South Sydney following an ACL rupture last September. Lodge on Monday avoided a dangerous-contact charge, with NRL indicators for hip-drop tackles clearing Lodge given his body landed on the ground before Smith's leg. Souths coach Wayne Bennett claimed after Sunday's loss to Manly that Lodge was lucky not to be penalised, before Smith took to social media to defend his former Sydney Roosters teammate. "I couldn't live with myself if I hurt his knee again," Lodge said. "I went through that (ACL injury) a few years ago. I was more concerned about making sure he was all right (than any penalty). "More important to me is Brandon Smith. He's a good mate of mine. He's coming to my birthday next week." Speaking before the charge sheet was released, Lodge insisted he felt there was nothing wrong with the tackle. "It wasn't like he was driving his legs and I sat back on the back of his legs," Lodge said. "Wayne's played the game. He probably knows sometimes you fall in those positions. There was no intentional malice." Unsigned by Manly at the end of last year, Lodge had talks with Souths and St George Illawarra fizzle out before the Sea Eagles offered him a NSW Cup deal as a lifeline. The terms of that offer mean Lodge has an option to take up a full-time NRL deal with Manly again next year, elevating him back to the club's top-30 contracts after two seasons of train-and-trial contracts. "I reckon I might have set the record for the most train and trials," Lodge said. "They are tough to play on. You're playing for the love of it. The kids probably eat the contract in three days. That's why I top it off with work a couple of days a week." NRL rules prevented Lodge playing NRL until round 11 on a NSW Cup deal, while he was also restricted to one training session a week. Lodge spent that time building his house, working in construction and boxing, supplementing his income and taking his mind off the fact he was losing his football fitness. But he says he has dropped several kilograms since returning to full-time training, and believes he has a number of NRL seasons left in him. "Six weeks ago I wasn't at my fittest. I probably took a couple of pies at work and put on a few kilos. But I also wasn't training full-time," Lodge said. "You can't get fit at footy without doing footy. "I probably went full-time a month ago. They've ripped six or seven kilos off me already. That just comes with training and playing." Matt Lodge has been cleared of any foul play on Brandon Smith, with the Manly prop admitting he would have been distraught if his tackle ruptured the hooker's ACL again. Smith is expected to miss up to eight weeks with a torn medial ligament, after Lodge fell on the back of his leg in his comeback game with South Sydney following an ACL rupture last September. Lodge on Monday avoided a dangerous-contact charge, with NRL indicators for hip-drop tackles clearing Lodge given his body landed on the ground before Smith's leg. Souths coach Wayne Bennett claimed after Sunday's loss to Manly that Lodge was lucky not to be penalised, before Smith took to social media to defend his former Sydney Roosters teammate. "I couldn't live with myself if I hurt his knee again," Lodge said. "I went through that (ACL injury) a few years ago. I was more concerned about making sure he was all right (than any penalty). "More important to me is Brandon Smith. He's a good mate of mine. He's coming to my birthday next week." Speaking before the charge sheet was released, Lodge insisted he felt there was nothing wrong with the tackle. "It wasn't like he was driving his legs and I sat back on the back of his legs," Lodge said. "Wayne's played the game. He probably knows sometimes you fall in those positions. There was no intentional malice." Unsigned by Manly at the end of last year, Lodge had talks with Souths and St George Illawarra fizzle out before the Sea Eagles offered him a NSW Cup deal as a lifeline. The terms of that offer mean Lodge has an option to take up a full-time NRL deal with Manly again next year, elevating him back to the club's top-30 contracts after two seasons of train-and-trial contracts. "I reckon I might have set the record for the most train and trials," Lodge said. "They are tough to play on. You're playing for the love of it. The kids probably eat the contract in three days. That's why I top it off with work a couple of days a week." NRL rules prevented Lodge playing NRL until round 11 on a NSW Cup deal, while he was also restricted to one training session a week. Lodge spent that time building his house, working in construction and boxing, supplementing his income and taking his mind off the fact he was losing his football fitness. But he says he has dropped several kilograms since returning to full-time training, and believes he has a number of NRL seasons left in him. "Six weeks ago I wasn't at my fittest. I probably took a couple of pies at work and put on a few kilos. But I also wasn't training full-time," Lodge said. "You can't get fit at footy without doing footy. "I probably went full-time a month ago. They've ripped six or seven kilos off me already. That just comes with training and playing." Matt Lodge has been cleared of any foul play on Brandon Smith, with the Manly prop admitting he would have been distraught if his tackle ruptured the hooker's ACL again. Smith is expected to miss up to eight weeks with a torn medial ligament, after Lodge fell on the back of his leg in his comeback game with South Sydney following an ACL rupture last September. Lodge on Monday avoided a dangerous-contact charge, with NRL indicators for hip-drop tackles clearing Lodge given his body landed on the ground before Smith's leg. Souths coach Wayne Bennett claimed after Sunday's loss to Manly that Lodge was lucky not to be penalised, before Smith took to social media to defend his former Sydney Roosters teammate. "I couldn't live with myself if I hurt his knee again," Lodge said. "I went through that (ACL injury) a few years ago. I was more concerned about making sure he was all right (than any penalty). "More important to me is Brandon Smith. He's a good mate of mine. He's coming to my birthday next week." Speaking before the charge sheet was released, Lodge insisted he felt there was nothing wrong with the tackle. "It wasn't like he was driving his legs and I sat back on the back of his legs," Lodge said. "Wayne's played the game. He probably knows sometimes you fall in those positions. There was no intentional malice." Unsigned by Manly at the end of last year, Lodge had talks with Souths and St George Illawarra fizzle out before the Sea Eagles offered him a NSW Cup deal as a lifeline. The terms of that offer mean Lodge has an option to take up a full-time NRL deal with Manly again next year, elevating him back to the club's top-30 contracts after two seasons of train-and-trial contracts. "I reckon I might have set the record for the most train and trials," Lodge said. "They are tough to play on. You're playing for the love of it. The kids probably eat the contract in three days. That's why I top it off with work a couple of days a week." NRL rules prevented Lodge playing NRL until round 11 on a NSW Cup deal, while he was also restricted to one training session a week. Lodge spent that time building his house, working in construction and boxing, supplementing his income and taking his mind off the fact he was losing his football fitness. But he says he has dropped several kilograms since returning to full-time training, and believes he has a number of NRL seasons left in him. "Six weeks ago I wasn't at my fittest. I probably took a couple of pies at work and put on a few kilos. But I also wasn't training full-time," Lodge said. "You can't get fit at footy without doing footy. "I probably went full-time a month ago. They've ripped six or seven kilos off me already. That just comes with training and playing."
News.com.au
4 hours ago
- News.com.au
‘Leave him alone': Matt Lodge not charged by match review committee for tackle that could end Brandon Smith's season
Sea Eagles veteran Matt Lodge has avoided a charge for a tackle that may have ended Brandon Smith's season, with the prop forward receiving support from the injured star who was adamant there was 'nothing wrong' with the contact. Smith suffered suspected medial ligament damage to his right knee, with early fears that he could miss 6-8 weeks in what was his first game back from an ACL injury that ended his 2024 campaign. The former Rooster made the move to South Sydney earlier this season and was five minutes away from getting through his first match when he was caught awkwardly in a tackle close to the line. Brandon Smith suffered a suspected MCL injury - contact mechanism on outside of lower leg fairly textbook for MCL/syndesmosis damage. Early assessments from the Rabbitohs suggest he will miss 6-8 weeks - likely moderate to high grade injury. Rough in his first game back. — NRL PHYSIO (@nrlphysio) July 6, 2025 Smith knew something was wrong immediately, with play stopped as the club's medical staff helped him off the field where he limped up the tunnel. No penalty was given at the time, and Lodge hasn't been charged for dangerous contact despite plenty of people thinking he had performed a hip-drop tackle. Smith, however, posted on social media that Lodge had done nothing wrong. 'So happy to be back,' Smith posted on Instagram on Sunday night. 'Wasn't how I wanted it to go, but back playing the game I love. 'Just want to make sure everyone understands Matt Lodge done (sic) nothing wrong. It was an accident. 'We are friends, and if you watch, you can see nothing was wrong so please leave him alone. This stuff happens all the time. 'Much love and thanks for all the nice messages.' Lodge's weight landed on the ground before his upper body appeared to pin Smith's leg, which caused the injury. The match review committee looked at the incident and deemed the tackle didn't meet the criteria of a hip drop, with Souths coach Wayne Bennett not overly pleased with the call on Sunday night. 'It's up to (the NRL) to decide, but we're not playing with a lot of luck, and we didn't get any there from that decision either,' Bennett said, having voiced his frustrations over hip-drop inconsistencies earlier this year. 'I'm frustrated by a lot of things right now, but it's not going to do me any good. 'He's happy that it's only six to eight weeks instead of eight months. At least he can see the light at the end of the tunnel this time.' There were no charges from Sunday's matches.
News.com.au
4 hours ago
- News.com.au
Geelong captain Patrick Dangerfield wants centre bounce abandoned to help avoid umpire contact
Geelong captain Patrick Dangerfield says the answer to solving umpire contract with players is simple and it's for them to throw the ball up at centre bounce and 'get out of the way'. Dangerfield, the former AFL Players Association president, said the centre bounce wasn't a 'valuable enough part of the game to protect' and amid an AFL crackdown on umpire contact was adamant the solution was staring the league in the face. Gold Coast midfield bull Matt Rowell has become the poster child for club outrage at the shift from the AFL that has put suspensions possibly on the table for any player charged with umpire contact four times across two seasons. Rowell has copped three charges this season alone, which moved Suns coach Damien Hardwick to declare the league should 'look out' if Rowell was suspended on the back of a mid-season rule change. Essendon young gun Nate Caddy was also caught out by an umpire standing inside the Bombers' forward 50 against the Suns on Saturday that earnt a massive rebuke from coach Brad Scott, who, during his time working with the AFL, tried to get the umpires out of the way. 'We've been at them and at them and at them to move out of the corridor and the last response I had from Steve McBurney (umpires chief) was, 'Just pretend they're invisible',' Scott said. 'Well, he wasn't invisible and unfortunately it took the wind out of Nate Caddy. It took 15 minutes to get him going again.' AFL boss Andrew Dillon said suspensions were 'unlikely' but the crackdown was warranted because players had refused to change their behaviour. Even Dangerfield admitted to using the umpire as a 'shield' at centre bounces. But the Cats skipper, like Hardwick, said removing the need for umpires to bounce the ball could alleviate both issues and the sooner it happened the better for the sake of players and the whistleblowers. 'Just throw it up and get out of the way. Keep it simple,' he said on Monday. 'If you talk to any umpire, a huge piece of their week is recovering from trying to bounce the ball. 'Our expectations of our umpires are enormous when it comes to not only decision making but the centre bounce and I just don't think it's a valuable enough part of the game for us to protect it constantly.' The majority of umpire contact occurs at centre bounces and Dangerfield said removing the need to bounce the ball would allow for quicker and cleaner exits. 'I think if you threw the ball up, you get could get some decent height to it, that could go some way to getting an umpire out of the way quicker,' he told SEN. 'Because you don't have to go through that whole motion of bouncing the ball, launching it to the ground, then backing out. You can just throw it up, back out and you'd be away from the contest before you know it. And it's easier for players.'
