Danny
10-09-2006, 11:02 AM
Initial reports on the sideline suggested 2 weeks.....now the medical team is quitely confident he can return in time for the weekends match. It will be a close call but I think Gasnier will play at any cost.
Dragons march on without Gaz
By Steve Mascord
September 10, 2006
FOXSPORTS
ST GEORGE Illawarra players told each other before kick-off last night that it would be their last game together if they lost to Brisbane - now they fear they will have to continue without Australia centre Mark Gasnier.
The sixth-placed Dragons responded to their rallying call by continuing the Broncos' horror finals record.
But the injury to Gasnier, forced off in the 60th minute with a corked hip, took the shine off the victory. The first prognosis was that he is likely to be sidelined for two weeks, but that softened a little afterwards.
"It was a lot more focused in the dressing rooms beforehand because we knew this could be our last game together," prop Jason Ryles said.
"We showed a couple of years ago when we got knocked out in the first week after finishing fifth what can happen, and we were determined not to let that happen again.
"Now we've lost Gaz. It's always a worry when you lose a good player, but we're just going to have to carry on without him. We don't have a choice."
Gasnier was too distressed to talk to the media.
Team doctor Paul Arnett said: "He's got a hip pointer injury. He's even a chance of being fit for next week."
Ryles revealed the fact "no-one expects us to do anything" in the finals was a major motivation behind last night's victory.
"Last year there was such a weight of expectation and while I'm not using it as an excuse, maybe in the end it did get to us," he said. "This year it's different."
The game was seven minutes old when the Dragons scored their first try, fullback Clint Greenshields taking an inside pass from winger Wes Naiqama to dive over.
Hooker Aaron Gorrell forced his way from dummy-half midway through the opening half and converted his own try to give the visitors a 10-0 lead.
Brisbane's response came via their best player and the man who always looked most likely to crack the Dragons.
Fullback Justin Hodges got behind the Dragons' defence, pushed off Naiqama and sidestepped Justin Poore, before putting winger Darius Boyd over in the corner.
The game was in the balance, with the Dragons leading 10-4 at half-time but the Broncos building momentum.
But NSW forward Luke Bailey lived up to his nickname of "Bull" just after the break.
He bumped off a couple of defenders in the 45th minute to score a try that lifted his team-mates. Then centre Matt Cooper got outside Brent Tate to score in the 54th minute off a Mathew Head pass.
Head, added to the bench before kick-off, played for about an hour in his first top-grade game after a knee injury.
Broncos winger Karmichael Hunt was ruled out before kick-off and replaced by Tame Tupou.
Brisbane captain Darren Lockyer described the Dragons' defence as "the best we've come up against in the last month".
"We played the worst we have in four weeks but we'll benefit from tonight. It will make us hungrier," he said.
The loss was Brisbane's seventh straight finals defeat and its sixth in a row at Suncorp Stadium. "It's a hard place for us to win at semi-final time because teams all come here pumped up," coach Wayne Bennett said.
Bennett had no problems with his players' efforts in a clash played at a frantic pace, especially in the first 40 minutes.
"We were too impatient in the second half and our completion rate was down around 50 per cent," he said.
After three weeks of dominating its opposition, Brisbane struggled to find a way back against the committed Dragons.
"We played the worst we've played in four weeks," Lockyer said. "We haven't been 10-0 for a while, but (the loss) will only make us hungrier."
Dragons march on without Gaz
By Steve Mascord
September 10, 2006
FOXSPORTS
ST GEORGE Illawarra players told each other before kick-off last night that it would be their last game together if they lost to Brisbane - now they fear they will have to continue without Australia centre Mark Gasnier.
The sixth-placed Dragons responded to their rallying call by continuing the Broncos' horror finals record.
But the injury to Gasnier, forced off in the 60th minute with a corked hip, took the shine off the victory. The first prognosis was that he is likely to be sidelined for two weeks, but that softened a little afterwards.
"It was a lot more focused in the dressing rooms beforehand because we knew this could be our last game together," prop Jason Ryles said.
"We showed a couple of years ago when we got knocked out in the first week after finishing fifth what can happen, and we were determined not to let that happen again.
"Now we've lost Gaz. It's always a worry when you lose a good player, but we're just going to have to carry on without him. We don't have a choice."
Gasnier was too distressed to talk to the media.
Team doctor Paul Arnett said: "He's got a hip pointer injury. He's even a chance of being fit for next week."
Ryles revealed the fact "no-one expects us to do anything" in the finals was a major motivation behind last night's victory.
"Last year there was such a weight of expectation and while I'm not using it as an excuse, maybe in the end it did get to us," he said. "This year it's different."
The game was seven minutes old when the Dragons scored their first try, fullback Clint Greenshields taking an inside pass from winger Wes Naiqama to dive over.
Hooker Aaron Gorrell forced his way from dummy-half midway through the opening half and converted his own try to give the visitors a 10-0 lead.
Brisbane's response came via their best player and the man who always looked most likely to crack the Dragons.
Fullback Justin Hodges got behind the Dragons' defence, pushed off Naiqama and sidestepped Justin Poore, before putting winger Darius Boyd over in the corner.
The game was in the balance, with the Dragons leading 10-4 at half-time but the Broncos building momentum.
But NSW forward Luke Bailey lived up to his nickname of "Bull" just after the break.
He bumped off a couple of defenders in the 45th minute to score a try that lifted his team-mates. Then centre Matt Cooper got outside Brent Tate to score in the 54th minute off a Mathew Head pass.
Head, added to the bench before kick-off, played for about an hour in his first top-grade game after a knee injury.
Broncos winger Karmichael Hunt was ruled out before kick-off and replaced by Tame Tupou.
Brisbane captain Darren Lockyer described the Dragons' defence as "the best we've come up against in the last month".
"We played the worst we have in four weeks but we'll benefit from tonight. It will make us hungrier," he said.
The loss was Brisbane's seventh straight finals defeat and its sixth in a row at Suncorp Stadium. "It's a hard place for us to win at semi-final time because teams all come here pumped up," coach Wayne Bennett said.
Bennett had no problems with his players' efforts in a clash played at a frantic pace, especially in the first 40 minutes.
"We were too impatient in the second half and our completion rate was down around 50 per cent," he said.
After three weeks of dominating its opposition, Brisbane struggled to find a way back against the committed Dragons.
"We played the worst we've played in four weeks," Lockyer said. "We haven't been 10-0 for a while, but (the loss) will only make us hungrier."