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SYDNEY Roosters captain Braith Anasta is in danger of missing the start of the NRL season after complications with the left ankle he fractured eight months ago.
Initially listed to feature in the game to commemorate Todd Carney's signing at the tri-colours, the star five-eighth and skipper was ruled out after a training mishap earlier in the week.
The Roosters medical staff remain split on the next course of action for Anasta, with club doctor John Orchard recommending another minor operation.
But Anasta's specialist has resisted the temptation to put him back under the knife and will wait to see how the ankle responds to cortisone injections. A fitness test in the next seven days will determine the fate of the club's key playmaker.
"I've got to be honest, I'm pretty concerned about it," Roosters recruitment guru Peter O'Sullivan said. "He just rolled it slightly at training so we rested him from the Atherton trial, but there's definitely a fair bit of doubt over whether he'll be right for round one."
The Roosters face fellow foundation club and arch-rivals South Sydney in the round-one opener at ANZ Stadium on Sunday, March 14.
Desperate to avenge the embarrassment of the same game last season, it will mark the Bondi Junction outfit's first regular-season game under new coach Brian Smith.
In the trial at Atherton, the Roosters looked to be in cruise control against a side made up of part-time footballers.
Initially listed to feature in the game to commemorate Todd Carney's signing at the tri-colours, the star five-eighth and skipper was ruled out after a training mishap earlier in the week.
The Roosters medical staff remain split on the next course of action for Anasta, with club doctor John Orchard recommending another minor operation.
But Anasta's specialist has resisted the temptation to put him back under the knife and will wait to see how the ankle responds to cortisone injections. A fitness test in the next seven days will determine the fate of the club's key playmaker.
"I've got to be honest, I'm pretty concerned about it," Roosters recruitment guru Peter O'Sullivan said. "He just rolled it slightly at training so we rested him from the Atherton trial, but there's definitely a fair bit of doubt over whether he'll be right for round one."
The Roosters face fellow foundation club and arch-rivals South Sydney in the round-one opener at ANZ Stadium on Sunday, March 14.
Desperate to avenge the embarrassment of the same game last season, it will mark the Bondi Junction outfit's first regular-season game under new coach Brian Smith.
In the trial at Atherton, the Roosters looked to be in cruise control against a side made up of part-time footballers.
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