ROOSTERS fullback Anthony Minichiello will learn today if the back injury that forced him out of last night's State of Origin is season-ending.
Minichiello, who was officially ruled out of the Blues side six hours before kick-off, sought the opinion of two specialists to discover whether he had suffered a repeat of the serious back injury that sidelined him for nine months last season.
He has already been ruled out of Saturday night's match at Penrith, and it is doubtful he will take any further part in the Origin series after Roosters coach Chris Anderson suggested he would be out for "three to four weeks".
Speculation surfaced yesterday that the NSW fullback could be rested for the season given the Roosters' lowly position on the NRL table.
After undergoing surgery last year for a similar injury, the Roosters do not want to take any risk with the former Test fullback but Anderson dismissed rumours last night that Minichiello would undergo another operation.
"It would be premature to say anything about whether that is the case until we get both reports tomorrow," Anderson said. "He didn't seem to be as bad today, and it doesn't seem as bad as we first thought. He was walking and wasn't in as much pain."
Minichiello missed most of last season after an operation for a protruding disc. Yesterday, he saw the same specialist who performed surgery on him but has sought a second opinion.
"He's obviously a bit concerned," Anderson said. "He just wants to do the right thing to make sure he can come back as quickly as possible."
After winning the Golden Boot award as the world's best player in 2005, Minichiello missed almost all of last season following surgery on his C5-S1 disc, the lowest in the backbone.
His latest problem relates to the next disc up, the C4-5, which is pressing on a nerve, causing shooting pains down his leg.
He played in Origin I after a cortisone injection but failed to recover in time yesterday.
NSW assistant coach Kevin Moore said the Blues were never going to take any risks with the Roosters fullback, who battled a similar injury before Origin I.
"You can't go into an Origin game 90 per cent fit," Moore said. "The other thing to consider is Anthony's long-term future, and it's something that obviously he's had a history with last year."
Meanwhile, the future of Canberra playmaker Todd Carney will be decided today after he escaped a jail term over a police chase last month.
The ACT Magistrates Court yesterday placed Carney on a 12-month good behaviour order and ordered him to complete 200 hours' community service. He was banned from driving until 2012, fined $500 and ordered to pay $107 in court costs.
After agreeing to a five-step rehabilitation plan set out by the club, which includes working with two charity organisations, doing clerical duties for the club, training with the premier league team and an alcohol ban, a date for Carney's possible return to the playing field will be discussed when Raiders coach Neil Henry returns from his duties with Queensland.
with AAP
