Warriors & Webster to play it safe with Wayde Egan after another head knock

By Alex Powell

Warriors coach Andrew Webster concedes he might have to play it safe with hooker Wayde Egan, who suffered another head knock in Sunday’s victory over the Penrith Panthers.

Even after breaking their victory drought with a 22-20 win at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium, the Warriors win came at a cost, as the 27-year-old was forced from the field after just 12 minutes by a failed head injury assessment (HIA).

Since his arrival at the Warriors in 2020, the sight of Egan being treated in-game by team medical staff is nothing new.

However, as more focus comes on to head injuries in sport, the sight of the hooker failing another HIA will give cause for concern.

In 2023, Queensland State of Origin great Wally Lewis was diagnosed with probable chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), as a result of repeated concussions throughout his career.

At the time, Egan came out in support of the NRL’s concussion protocols, where players have to go through a mandatory stand-down period before they can return to play.

After Sunday’s win, Webster calmed any fears over Egan’s condition but gave no indication if he’d back up for next weekend’s clash against the Dolphins at Go Media Stadium.

“He’s tough, Wayde,” said Webster. “I think he got up and wanted to keep going, but common sense prevailed.

“I’m sure he’ll come up well in the following weeks. But for now, we’ll play it by ear.

“But at this stage, he’s okay.”

Webster also urged perspective over Egan’s repeated concussions.

So far this season, Egan has spent more time sidelined through an elbow injury than he has through the NRL’s concussion protocols.

Losing Egan for round 13 would also add to an already inflated injury list for the Kiwi club.

Shaun Johnson (pectoral), Kurt Capewell (calf), Luke Metcalf (leg), Marata Niukore (foot), Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (hamstring) and Rocco Berry (hand) are all slated to miss the Dolphins’ visit, even if Chanel Harris-Tavita and Freddy Lussick are both expected to be available.

But given Egan’s history of concussions and importance to the team, his absence would be the most concerning.

Webster, though, is urging for the full picture to be seen.

“Everyone’s kind of blowing it out of context,” he continued. “There’s been big gaps between them [head knocks], they haven’t all been strung together.

“There’s been ones where he’s had them and he’s gone back on the field.

“This is the honest truth; we just care about the player, we get the right medical assessment done. If they say he can play, then I’m happy.

“If the player is confident, we’ll do it. If we need to take time, we’ll take time. If that’s the best thing, we’ll do that.”

“I think the history side is blown out of proportion, a little bit, for Wayde. He’s played loads of footy where he hasn’t had a knock. He’s played six or seven games for 80 minutes this year.

“We always treat it case by case, we’ve got a great medical department that’ll help us there.”

In Egan’s absence, though, young hooker Paul Roache stood up and was a key cog in the Warriors side that stunned the three-time premiers.

The 25-year-old stood up despite his limited experience of first-grade NRL, given that regular back-up dummy half Lussick was also missing - through concussion protocols.

And given the success of the makeshift side that toppled the Panthers, Webster’s biggest challenge this week could be picking his team to face the Dolphins - not that he minds.

“He had to play big minutes,” said Webster of Roache. “[It was] probably his second or third NRL game. He was very good.

“If we don’t [get anyone back] I’m happy with these boys. We don’t talk about the best team available, we talk about hopefully getting everyone available.

“We love whoever plays, we believe in them. If we get players back next week, that’s great. If we don’t, that’s fine.”

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission