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It’s now emerged friendly fire involving two of the Bulldogs’ most feared and toughest legends Mark O’Meley and Willie Mason was responsible for Luke Thompson’s likely season-ending injury.
The two former premiership winning enforcers were on the field at training on Tuesday holding bump pads when the Englishman ran at them before falling to the turf like a sack of potatoes.
Witnesses say there was nothing malicious or intentional about the incident whatsoever, with O’Meley and Mason simply standing their ground as Thompson collided with the pads while taking a hit up off the dummy half. But as soon as the star forward, who is in a reported $800,000 for this season, went down it was obvious the injury was serious.
Thompson was helped from the field by Mason and physio James Wall.
The Bulldogs have since confirmed that Thompson will meet with surgeons this week to work out the best plan of action to deal with the rare lisfranc foot injury.
The expectation is he will miss the entire season. Bulldogs general manager of football Phil Gould tweeted: “Unfortunately Luke Thompson’s injury is quite serious. Prognosis is for minimum 6 months recovery. Possibly longer depending on surgery type. Very sad for Luke and the club.”
It is not expected the Bulldogs will receive salary cap relief for the accident given Thompson is off contract at the end of the season.
It’s a major setback for new coach Cameron Ciraldo ahead of his official NRL head-coaching debut when Canterbury plays Manly at 4 Pines Park on Saturday.
The irony is O’Meley and Mason were brought back to the club by Gould specifically to give the new generation an up close and personal view of what good old fashioned toughness used to look like at the Bulldogs.
$10M WORTH OF TALENT OUT OF ROUND – Brent Read, Fatima Kdouh, David Riccio and Martin Gabor
Canterbury have been dealt a hammer blow on the eve of the 2023 NRL kick-off after star forward Luke Thompson was ruled out with a likely season-ending foot injury.
Thompson will meet with surgeons this week to discuss treatment after suffering a rare and serious lisfranc injury. It comes amid revelations more than $10 million worth of playing talent has been sidelined from this weekend’s opening round. The English forward was helped off the training track by Willie Mason and physio James Wall after he suffered the injury at Belmore Sportsground on Tuesday, with general manager of football, Phil Gould, revealing the prognosis was not positive.
“Unfortunately Luke Thompson’s injury is quite serious. Prognosis is for minimum 6 months recovery. Possibly longer depending on surgery type. Very sad for Luke and the club,” Gould tweeted on Tuesday.
NRL players to have been sidelined long-term with lisfranc injuries include Ricky Leutele, Moses Suli, Curtis Sironen and Api Koroisau.
The Bulldogs are set to inquire with the NRL about salary cap dispensation for Thompson.
Away from Belmore, injuries have caused carnage across the competition, leaving clubs to count the cost of a brutal pre-season. Up to 20 top-line stars have been sidelined after the first team lists were announced on Tuesday.
