Manu Vatuvei. Photo / Photosport
The Warriors last night received a double whammy of bad news, with winger Manu Vatuvei likely to be out for up to eight weeks and stand-off James Maloney facing a one-week ban.
Scans confirmed that medial ligament damage to Vatuvei could mean the side will be without their top player
of last season for two months.
Vatuvei was felled by a head-charge tackle from Parramatta winger Etuate Uaisele in Saturday night's 18-24 defeat to the Eels at Eden Park.
Maloney has been handed a grade-one dangerous contact charge by the NRL's match review committee following a second-half charge on Parramatta fullback Jarryd Hayne. Maloney stands to miss one game if he takes an early guilty plea.
"The scans confirmed our initial assessment," said Warriors doctor John Mayhew. "Surgery isn't required and it should be possible for Manu to return in about eight weeks."
Vatuvei said he would look after the injury and hoped to return stronger.
"I'm down on myself, but that's how it goes in this game sometimes. There's nothing I can do about it," he said.
Manly co-captain Jason King faces a week on the sidelines after he was one of six players charged by the NRL match review committee from the opening weekend of the season.
King was handed a grade-one dangerous contact charge after leading with his knee in an ungainly hit-up during Saturday night's 18-6 loss to Melbourne.
The veteran prop is unlikely to contest the charge, given he would be banned for two weeks with an unsuccessful trip to the judiciary courtesy of 47 carry-over points.
King was one of two players charged with leading with the knee, Canberra's Brett White facing one week for the same offence.
Cronulla hooker Paul Aiton, who had the ignominy of being the first player to be sent off this year, is looking at a one-week ban for his headbutt on Raiders centre Joel Thompson.
Aiton, marched seven minutes from fulltime, risks a two-match suspension if he unsuccessfully contests the grade-two striking charge.
* South Sydney face a A$15,000 ($20,430) fine for allowing 14 men on to the field during Friday night's 40-29 loss to the Sydney Roosters.
- AAP
