NRL: Barrett cleared of serious injury

Cronulla's Trent Barrett could be back playing in a week. Photo / Getty Images

SYDNEY - Cronulla star Trent Barrett has been cleared of any serious neck injury after he was stretchered off WIN Jubilee Oval on Sunday.

Barrett's much anticipated return to his old home ground ended worryingly when he suffered the injury during the Sharks' 10-6 NRL loss to St George Illawarra.

The former Dragons skipper was attempting a tackle on St George Illawarra forward Ben Creagh in the 50th minute when his neck was bent awkwardly by his own player, Blake Ferguson, who was also involved in the tackle.

The match was stopped for more than five minutes as medical staff attended to Barrett, placing his neck in a brace before carrying him off to a standing ovation from the 20,847 fans who had earlier booed his return in enemy colours.

Barrett complained of pins and needles in his right arm and leg before being taken to hospital in an ambulance.

He underwent tests and could be back in action in 1-2 weeks.

"It's all been good news," Sharks doctor David Givney said through a club spokesman on Sunday night.

"The CT and MRI scans have come back normal. There's no boney or ligamentous injury and symptoms (are) slowly resolving.

"He'll be released either tonight or tomorrow morning and then we'll assess his injuries."

Barrett's release time will depend more on his recovery from the side effects of pain-killing drugs than his injury.

It had been feared the former test star may have suffered the same career-threatening injury that ended teammate Ben Ross' season earlier this month.

Ross suffered a ruptured disc that was pushing against his spinal column in Cronulla's round one win over Penrith and underwent surgery.

Barrett's injury capped a horror start to 2009 for the Sharks, who have lost Ross and fullback Brett Kearney (ankle) for the season and stood down halfback Brett Seymour for two games after a wild night out, Givney said after the match the 31-year-old had been calm while medical staff attended to him.

"He's that sort of individual. I think you could cut his foot off and he'd still be calm," Givney said.

"He was more worried about telling his wife because it was a delayed (TV) game and so she wouldn't have found out. " Dragons captain Ben Hornby, who played seven seasons with Barrett, passed on his best wishes.

"It was obviously a little bit sickening there when he stayed down and had to be stretchered off so I wish him all the best and I'll give him a call later tonight and see how he's feeling," Hornby said.

Barrett's injury overshadowed a gritty win by the Dragons in an arm-wrestle between two of the NRL's struggling attacks.

A 60th minute Ben Creagh try sealed the victory after the scores had been locked at 6-6 from the 53rd minute.

St George Illawarra scored the only first half try, to Hornby in the 12th minute, while the Sharks seemed briefly galvanised by Barrett's injury, scoring three minutes later when winger David Simmons grabbed a Blake Green cross-field kick.

"We probably underestimated how hot it would be and how much fatigue was going to set in," Hornby said.

"But we toughed it out and in the second half probably should have scored two more tries ... but we just didn't execute properly. " The Dragons win was their first in five derby outings against the Sharks.

- AAP