Sydney Roosters star Joseph Manu has undergone successful facial reconstruction surgery in Brisbane after suffering a depressed fracture of his cheekbone in a 54-12 loss to South Sydney on Friday night.
The Kiwi centre was hit in a brutal tackle from South Sydney superstar Latrell Mitchell, who made direct contact with Manu's face - injuring his good friend and former teammate.
Mitchell received a 10-minute sin bin for the hit, and has accepted a six-week suspension for what Roosters coach Trent Robinson called a "cheap hit".
"[Mitchell] plays on the edge and that is what makes him a great player to watch," Robinson said.
"I'm angry at him for that incident. I absolutely love him and I'll say I'm frustrated at that point because he's just cost one of his good mates the rest of the season and fractured his cheekbone."
"It's not on. It really hurts. But also Latrell plays the game a certain way and it frustrates opposition fans and it would've frustrated ours but we got to enjoy him for a long period of time.
"But you can't hit someone with that much force and not suffer the circumstances."
One of the NRL's biggest stars, Mitchell's poor disciplinary record will cost him the rest of the season for the grade two reckless tackle.
Manu, who will also sit out the rest of the season, posted an update on social media on Sunday.
"Thanks everyone for all the support & kind messages," Manu says.
"I'm in good spirits and recovering well. Much love."
