EELS
Eel winger Maika Sivo will miss the rest of the season with suspected MCL injury as coach Brad Arthur also sweats up winger Blake Ferguson’s fitness for the playoff final of the next week
Sivo left the pitch in the 11th minute of the final 36-24 qualifying loss to Storm at Suncorp Stadium
Interchange forward Marata Niukore has also been reported for a crushing tackle on Tino Fa’asuamaleaui on a difficult night for Parramatta
Sivo’s injury is a big blow with the 27-year-old playing all 20 round-robin games for Parramatta this year and scoring 15 tries
« I think Maika is done for the year and Fergo will have to have scans tomorrow. Maybe it’s a chance, » Arthur said
« It’s a big blow to the team, but we have other guys on the team who will have to step up
« It’s a shame for Maika because he worked hard and it’s her birthday today but it’s jogging »
The Eels led 12 to zero but let the Storm get back into the game They refused to buckle up, but Arthur said there was a lot to be learned from the demo heading into next week’s playoff final against the Rabbitohs or the Knights at Bankwest Stadium
« It was tough and we showed a lot of character. It was brave and it was just stupid in the key moments and the critical moments, » he said
« You can’t do that against the Melbourne Storm They froze their opportunities, but we have to learn from it
« What’s nice is that we didn’t go We kept fighting and having guys out of position probably hurt us a bit, but we thank them because they do their best »
Arthur said his team showed they were mentally tough enough to win the competition after firing back when the Storm took an 18-point lead
Storm coach Craig Bellamy said his team’s communication was cut off in the first half as the team dominated possession but entered the break at 12 points nonetheless
The match opened in the second stanza with Ryan Papenhuyzen, Cameron Smith and Cameron Munster taking control
The Storm will now prepare to face the Roosters or Canberra in the preliminary final in two weeks
« It was kind of a weird game with a lot of points scored for a semi-final as both teams had also been very good defensive teams throughout the year, » Bellamy said.
« I think it has been difficult this week as many of them took time off last week Our training this week was missing a few things
« We were just getting out of our routine, so we’re going to approach the next two weeks a little differently
« It’s great to have a week off and we can certainly use it because this year has been difficult »
Blake Ferguson
World News – AU – Sivo out for season as eels sweat on Ferguson scans
