"It's a tough one but I am trying to be positive," Tuivasa-Sheck told the Herald on Sunday. "Hopefully I will be back for round one of next season [March 6-10]. There is a question mark over the [Auckland League] Nines and the World Club Challenge."
Mayhew is adamant that the fracture occurred in the final, although the player admits he was in "real pain" at times during the warm-up. He left the field in the semifinal win over England the week before and the 20-year-old was in a moon boot after that match. Tuivasa-Sheck didn't take part in team training all week, aside from the captain's run on the Friday. An X-ray revealed no evidence of a break and Mayhew says that within 48 hours, the winger was able to "comfortably jog and run".
"I have no doubt that the fracture actually occurred in the final - whether or not it was primed by the knock on it the week before, that is guesswork ... we don't know," says Mayhew. "What he told us was that it was feeling better and better.
"He didn't train but he did some running, jumping, sprinting and changing direction by himself. Going into the game, we had two wingers with recent injuries and, to be honest, I was most concerned about Manu [Vatuvei]."
"I felt some soreness from jumping but running was fine and I was confident before the game," says Tuivasa-Sheck. "But then during the warm-up, I was getting frustrated because the pain was coming back to me. I kept calling to the [doctor] for more painkillers; the pain was coming back and I was getting annoyed."
The Roosters winger, who scored eight tries in the tournament, including two in the semifinal win over England, added that running out on to the field before kick-off, his leg "felt okay".
"Then we kicked off, chased, and the first time I caught the ball, I loaded up on my right leg," recalls Tuivasa-Sheck. "It buckled on me ... and I fell to the ground."
"Maybe it was the bone under stress or maybe it was just a brand new injury," says Mayhew. "The medical staff were devastated and sometimes it is just plain bad luck."
Though highly unfortunate, the incident hasn't taken the gloss off a spectacular year for the former Otahuhu College star. At the start of last season, Tuivasa-Sheck was just another promising kid - albeit with huge potential - having played six first grade games and yet to score an NRL try. Since then, he has played a major role in the Roosters' rise from 13th in 2012 to NRL premiers.
"It's been unreal, crazy, quite overwhelming," says Tuivasa-Sheck, who is still surprised when fans stop him for photos and autographs in Sydney. "I'm grateful that the coaches have had faith in me. The World Cup experience was amazing and winning the NRL grand final was incredible."
The round three match against Brisbane, when they held the Broncos scoreless (8-0, the first time they had held a team to nil in five years) was the first sign for Tuivasa-Sheck that something special could be on the horizon for the Roosters.
New coach Trent Robinson "stamped his authority" quickly on the previously ill-disciplined team and Sonny Bill Williams had an almost immediate impact.
"He [Williams] brought new levels of professionalism to the club," says Tuivasa-Sheck. "Apart from what he did on the field, I learned a lot from how he managed himself off the field."
