Melbourne Storm winger Will Warbrick has left the pitch in tears after a suspected Achilles rupture.
The 28-year-old was defending on his own tryline when he fell to the ground without contact and immediately reached for his left Achilles during the Storm’s 14-6 loss to Sydney at Allianz Stadium on Friday night.
Warbrick was in visible pain as the game stopped while a medical staff rushed out to his aid.
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He was in tears as a stretcher drove him off the ground while teammates ran over in support.
“Melbourne Storm can confirm Will Warbrick has a suspected Achilles injury,” the club said.
“The club will provide further updates once available. Our thoughts are with Brick.”
It means the New Zealander has likely played his last game for the Storm, having already signed with the Warriors for next year.
Warbrick is a triple international, having represented New Zealand in Aussie Rules, then switching codes to rugby sevens and winning an Olympic silver medal, before eventually landing with rugby league in the NRL.
He joins Cameron Munster, Jahrome Hughes, Eli Katoa, Tui Kamikamica, Xavier Coates and Ativalu Lisati in one of the NRL’s most high-profile casualty wards.
The depleted Storm looked in for a tough task facing top-four side the Roosters in their first game without either of Hughes or Munster this year.
But Melbourne’s defensive grit kept them in the game, even if they were out-muscled through the middle and needed 54 minutes to earn a red-zone tackle.
The Storm threatened to pull off an almighty upset after being gifted rare field position from a questionable high-tackle penalty blown against Nat Butcher.
Down 8-0, the Storm were back within two points when Harry Grant caught the Roosters napping and popped a ball up to Stefano Utoikamanu on the fifth tackle.
Melbourne could have taken an unlikely lead in the final 15 minutes as Trent Toelau put Tyran Wishart into space, but the five-eighth’s pass to Sua Fa’alogo was wayward.
The clunky Roosters only breathed easily when towering winger Daniel Tupou crossed on the left edge as the final five minutes approached.
Earlier, Daly Cherry-Evans was the Roosters’ key man, kicking to the right to help Siua Wong score, then putting in a 40/20 kick ahead of Smith’s try.
Friday night’s defeat means perennial heavyweights Melbourne will finish the weekend four competition points out of the top eight.
They must claim victory in five of their final six games to finish the regular season with a winning record, usually the benchmark for a finals berth.
Since Craig Bellamy became coach in 2003, the Storm have only missed finals once, when they were stripped of premiership points in 2010 for breaching the salary cap.
With AAP
