Mullen Ready To Tackle The Pain Barrier
Newcastle Herald
Friday May 26, 2006
NEWCASTLE Knights teenage sensation Jarrod Mullen is prepared to have a pain-killing needle in his left hand so he can play against St George Illawarra at EnergyAustralia Stadium tonight.
The 19-year-old Australian Schoolboys representative broke a bone in his hand leading the NSW under-19 side to a 22-10 win against Queensland in the curtain-raiser to the State of Origin match at Telstra Stadium on Wednesday night.Mullen had an X-ray yesterday to confirm the break and has been given until this morning to make a decision on playing at five-eighth alongside Andrew Johns."It is broken at the fourth metacarpal," Mullen said. "I'm still confident of playing tomorrow night, but I'll probably have to needle it up. "I'm keen to play and I will have a test in the morning to see if I can pass and tackle and take the ball."NSW captain Danny Buderus and second-rower Steve Simpson have also been given until this morning to determine their fitness after the gruelling win against Queensland. But coach Michael Hagan is confident the trio will be on the field to help Newcastle maintain the NRL premiership lead."I don't think we are in too bad a position from the Origin match," Hagan said."We'll see how they are in the morning. We trained pretty well today, but we'll just wait until tomorrow."Simmo's is an ongoing problem and Bedsy seems OK, and Jarrod was having a check with Dr [Neil] Halpin, so we will know a lot more in the morning."Buderus took a back problem into the Origin game and Simpson aggravated a groin injury.Simpson said he appreciated being given the extra time to overcome his injuries."I'm still a little bit sore, but I had some good treatment today and with the extra time I hope to be right by tomorrow," he said. "It is the groin problem, and I have another couple of niggling injuries, but Hages has given me the extra time, which is good."Knights operations manager Steve Crowe said the trio had been given every chance possible to be fit for tomorrow night. "We had an assessment today when the boys came back for a massage and an ice bath and decided we will give them until tomorrow," Crowe said. "Simmo has been carrying the groin problem for the last few weeks, and backing up for a second game in 48 hours is a big ask. "Danny is getting more treatment for his back problem, and it will be up to him to decide if he will also back up."Hagan has Riley Brown and Kirk Reynoldson on the bench as replacements for Buderus and Simpson if they fail the fitness test. Brown is also a likely replacement at five-eighth for Mullen, along with Todd Lowrie and Chris Bailey, who were not named in the original squad.Bailey, Daniel Abraham and Daniel Tolar are on stand-by to move to the bench.St George will also check on the fitness of Origin centre Mark Gasnier and may include fellow centre Matt Cooper, who was ruled unfit for Origin.The Knights will be out to repeat their 54-6 win against the Dragons in Wollongong in April to ensure they stay on top of the table.Dragons prop Luke Bailey is back to full fitness and keen to stake a claim for a NSW jumper.A two-week suspension, followed by the bye, has enabled "Bull" Bailey's niggling knee and rib injuries to heal."I'd be lying if I said I didn't [want to make the NSW team]," Bailey admitted yesterday."I'd love to play again. "If they'd lost last night, there might have been a chance, but they played pretty good the forwards."Bailey was sidelined when the Knights thrashed the Dragons last month."That was disappointing, sitting on the sideline watching that," he said.
© 2006 Newcastle Herald