Billy Smith fell off his e-bike. The Roosters have now given their players two simple rules to follow

Amid the headlines surrounding the Roosters’ capture of veteran Maroons halfback Daly Cherry-Evans over the summer, the looming arrival at Bondi of another Origin playmaker went under the radar.

The hype over Reece Robson’s first run in red, white and blue was further dampened when the NSW hooker fractured his thumb in pre-season, delaying his debut for a period initially feared to be up to eight weeks.

But a quicker-than-expected recovery has Robson ready to roll in Friday night’s blockbuster against the in-form Panthers – much to the delight of coach Trent Robinson, who is able to field his first-choice spine for the first time this season.

“Daly was obviously quite a big signing [with] everything that he’s done in the game, and as we often see, people … from north of the border, they don’t get as much hype in Sydney,” Robinson of Robson’s move from the Cowboys.

“But Reece was really key to how we wanted to develop our game. And so getting especially the four spine players playing their first game together, it’s really good to get started on that. There will be improvement game-on-game, but to get the four of them together tomorrow is key for how we want to play.”

Penrith have been impressive in the opening rounds, beating Brisbane and Cronulla and conceding only six points. The return of NSW back-rower Liam Martin, coupled with the Roosters’ record of just one win from their past 12 games against the Panthers, means Penrith will start favourites at Allianz Stadium on Friday night.

Robinson said Robson’s game time would be determined by his fatigue levels, with the quality of his defence more important than his time on the field.

“I will have coverage for that,” Robinson said. “I don’t have a clear [amount of] time in how much I want him to play. I want to see him play, but I will have options there.

“The idea is not to last time, it’s to have quality. So I’ll see how long that lasts during the game. But getting him out there, the expectation there is not to do anything in particular other than just getting his defensive work done.”

Robinson has Connor Watson on the bench to provide dummy-half cover, while Benaiah Ioelu is another interchange option.

Penrith suffocated the Cronulla attack on their way to a 26-6 victory last week, and Robinson is relishing the prospect of facing a team at near peak form.

“Isn’t it wonderful, the challenge of that?” Robinson said. “That’s why people should come out, people should have interest and watch that, because a tip of the cap to what they’ve done the first two games.

“Our job as coaches and players is to nullify that tomorrow and find some creases. To take opportunities.”

Dragons prop could play this weekend after neck scare

Dan Walsh

Rising Dragons prop Loko Pasifiki Tonga could be back on the training pitch as soon as Friday after he was cleared of a neck injury during a training session on Thursday morning.

Pasifiki Tonga, who has played 10 NRL games after debuting last year, was attended to by paramedics having stayed down from a tackle in a routine training drill at WIN Stadium.

Pasifiki Tonga indicated to teammates and Dragons staff that he had suffered a neck injury while running the ball, with precautionary measures taken and an ambulance called to the club’s Wollongong training base. But after undergoing tests, Pasifiki Tonga has been given the all-clear.

“We’re relieved he’s OK and it’s not a serious injury,” said his manager, Craig Clifton. “He’s fine, there’s no damage, no issues. It was just a precaution. He’ll hopefully be back on the footy field tomorrow and cleared to play on the weekend.

“He could be playing this weekend, depending on how he pulls up.”

The Dragons released a statement on Thursday confirming Pasifiki Tonga “has been cleared of any major neck injury concerns and returned to the Dragons training facility this afternoon.

“He will be monitored by our medical staff over the coming days before a determination is made on his availability to play this weekend.”

The 20-year-old is regarded as one of the club’s most promising young forwards but is yet to feature in first grade this season. He was named among St George Illawarra’s extended reserves for Sunday’s clash with Parramatta but will undergo scans and further assessment on his injury.

‘Let Sua be Sua’: Grant shuts down Walsh comparisons

Roy Ward

Melbourne Storm know fullback Sua Fa’alogo has the potential to be a superstar but captain Harry Grant has shut down comparisons to Reece Walsh ahead of their grand final replay with Brisbane Broncos on Friday night.

The Storm and Broncos meet for the first time since Walsh led the Brisbane side to a comeback win in last year’s NRL grand final when they face off at AAMI Park.

Following Ryan Papenhuyzen shock departure at the end of 2025, Fa’alogo has taken over the starting fullback role and the young flyer has impressed in the opening two rounds including a hat-trick in Storm’s 46-20 win over St George-Illawarra on Saturday.

“That was Sua’s second full 80-minute performance for the Storm and people are comparing him to Reece Walsh and asking him to do those things,” Grant said on Tuesday.

“I always find those things hard, I think we should just let Sua be Sua and not have any expectations as he has only played two full games of NRL [at fullback]. Let’s see if he can continue to train well and prepare well and that will give him the best chance to play well.”

While Grant is protecting the young flyer, teammate Tyran Wishart said Fa’alogo had won over the club’s senior players with his grasp of the defensive side of playing fullback.

“The big one is in defence. I’m sure he has always been comfortable in what he can do attacking wise but what he has done defensively in the last 12 weeks has been massive,” Wishart said.

“If he can keep building on that, anything is possible for him.”

Wishart said the Storm would keep putting Fa’alogo in position to break lines and create tries.

“It has taken a lot of people by surprise but not us. We’ve always known what he was capable of and he has shown glimpses with some of the tries he has scored in the last couple of years, some of them have been crazy,” Wishart said.

“People might not see what he’s doing for us defensively because of those crazy, highlight tries but he’s working really hard in defence and he’s been doing that the whole preseason.”

Knights lose $2.7m of talent with Ponga and Brown’s injury verdicts

Dan Walsh

Newcastle captain Kalyn Ponga will be sidelined for up to two months by the high-grade hamstring injury he suffered in their stirring win over Manly on Sunday, while fellow million-dollar man Dylan Brown is facing a month on the sidelines with a knee injury.

Scan results on the Knights’ highest earners – Ponga is estimated to be on a $1.4 million salary while Brown’s 10-year deal averages out at around $1.3 million each season – have returned devastating news for the pair and new coach Justin Holbrook.

The Knights have surprised many by springing upset wins over the Cowboys and Sea Eagles after taking the wooden spoon last year, but now face a season-defining period without Ponga, who had been in scintillating form to start the year.

The star custodian is expected to be out for between six and eight weeks, according to the club, “dependent on his response to rehabilitation”.

A two-month recovery for Ponga would also impact his lead-in to Queensland’s State of Origin campaign, with Billy Slater due to pick his Maroons squad after round 11.

Incumbent Kangaroos No.1 Reece Walsh and Dolphins flyer Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow (who was Queensland fullback in Origin III last year) both have strong Origin claims, and if Ponga is out for eight weeks he would be left with just a May 17 game against the Titans to prove his fitness.

Ponga grabbed at his right hamstring after scoring a first-half try against Manly on Sunday and initially tried to play through the injury before coming from the field.

Brown went down with a left knee injury eight minutes later, and scans on Monday confirmed he has suffered a grade 2 MCL strain.

The Kiwi international will miss the next four weeks, robbing Newcastle of approximately 23 per cent of their $11.95 million salary cap with both he and Ponga sidelined.

Fletcher Sharpe will return from his own knee injury against the Warriors on Saturday as Brown’s replacement and is set to slot into the halves alongside utility Sandon Smith. Fletcher Hunt impressed in Ponga’s place at fullback against Manly and is expected to be retained in the No.1 jersey.

After hosting the Warriors in their first game at Newcastle this year, the Knights face a particularly difficult run without their two attacking linchpins. Clashes with Canterbury and 2025 minor premiers Canberra follow, before a round-six trip to Campbelltown to face Wests Tigers.

A four-week recovery would then have Brown in line for a potential round-seven return against the Roosters on Sunday, April 19. Ponga is then expected to miss at least the following week’s home game against Penrith and a round 9 clash with South Sydney.

Newcastle’s round 12 bye – the first of their season – falls nine weeks after the 27-year-old went down, and may factor into his return date given the potential for an extra fortnight of recovery.

The Knights’ luckless injury run has also been compounded by news back-rower Brodie Jones will also be out for the next eight weeks after being plagued by inflammation from arthritis in his foot.

Jones had successful surgery last week on the injury to remove a bone causing him regular pain every time he ran.

Billy Smith will miss two big games due to his e-bike crash. The Roosters have had enough

Christian Nicolussi

Injured Sydney Roosters centre Billy Smith was one of the few players who walked to and from training on Sunday as his teammates revealed the two simple rules they now needed to follow when it comes to the use of e-bikes and scooters.

Smith was ruled out of Friday’s clash with South Sydney after he suffered a concussion in an e-bike fall on Thursday.

The club and Smith’s teammates were disappointed because the crash ruled him out of not only the South Sydney clash, but also Friday’s blockbuster against Penrith, due to NRL’s concussion protocols.

Roosters coach Trent Robinson said after the 26-18 win over Souths that Smith was embarrassed, and the club would review the use of the popular form of transport around Allianz Stadium.

There are no allocated parking spots at the Moore Park venue for players, who have to park at the nearby Entertainment Quarter. They walk more than a kilometre along Driver Avenue to get to training, hence the heavy reliance on bikes and scooters.

“There’ll be discussions around that [use of e-bikes and scooters], but you don’t want to control all parts of life either,” Robinson said after the game. “People can be individuals, but a little bit better care might help get him [Smith] on the field.”

Prop Lindsay Collins, who lost his front tooth riding a bike when he was younger, told this masthead on Sunday the club had made it clear all players need to wear helmets and take no unnecessary risks.

“It was unfortunate to lose Bill the other night, especially after his game against the Warriors [in round one] – everyone knows how good a player he is,” Collins said. “He’s definitely feeling it now; and he definitely knows he let down the boys.

“He’ll get his lesson – we’ll all get our lesson from it. The little kid comes out inside you and you can muck around a bit on it. But you need to realise these things are actually dangerous, and you need to be sensible on them.

“It definitely woke me up. I lost my tooth on a bike when I was a kid. There were no electric bikes back then. I’m a scooter man now. I was a walker for a long time, but I bit the bullet this year, and it has been great [since].”

Winger Mark Nawaqanitawase, who is a “walker”, said: “Nobody is in the good books at the moment with that [use of e-bikes].

“It’s been addressed. It was an unfortunate situation. E-bikes are a part of society, they are everywhere, but we need to do the right thing and wear a helmet. Most of the boys wear helmets anyway.

“There also can’t be any silly business. Just ride normally and get to the ground. That’s what you need to do.”

Junior Pauga was a late inclusion against Souths at left centre and will have the job of stopping Panthers duo Paul Alamoti and Brian To’o.