New Zealand rugby league star Shaun Johnson will miss the remainder of the NRL season after suffering a suspected Achilles injury during the Cronulla Sharks' 34-18 loss to the Sydney Roosters on Saturday night.
During the second half of their match at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Johnson collapsed to the ground in agony suddenly without any contact from other players around him, clutching at his right leg.
He was taken from the field and Sharks coach John Morris is fearing the worst for his playmaker.
"It's expected [it's a] ruptured Achilles tendon, so horrible news for us and Shaun," says Morris. "It's yet to be confirmed, we need some scans, but they don't normally get those wrong."
To add to their woes, the Sharks lost prop Royce Hunt and utility Josh Dugan to serious injuries as well.
Hunt dislocated his kneecap and suspected ruptured patellar tendon, while Dugan's injury was unknown. Morris was fuming that the play was allowed to continue when the latter was down on the field with his injury.
"I was a bit disappointed with that Luke Keary try because play needed to be stopped because Dugan needed attention on the field," Morris says. "I thought that was an ordinary look for our game to play on when a bloke is laying on the ground injured like that. We will get some scans on him and see how he is going."
Morris says he'll seek clarification from the NRL about the matter.
"The communication back from the officials was they didn't hear a trainer trying to stop time," he says.
"I'll have to speak to Graham Annesley about that, about when they should stop the game and when they should let it run on.
"Clearly when someone is down and they cannot get to their feet, and the doctor has got to go on the field and check him - should play be stopped?
"That was a key moment of the game."
Elsewhere, the Melbourne Storm secured second place on the NRL ladder with a 50-22 win over the Wests Tigers, while the Gold Coast Titans beat the Manly Sea Eagles 42-24 for their fourth-straight win.
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