Parramatta skipper Clint Gutherson carried a broken hand through Sunday evening’s NRL grand remaining defeat to Penrith.
The inspirational fullback gave spectators a clue of the ache he endured within the thick black strap he was sporting round his injured left hand, however we had been none the wiser in the course of the sport.
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Gutherson managed to masks the ache with out all hampered by the damage, which might usually sideline a participant for weeks.
The Daily Telegraph has reported that the 28-year-old suffered the damage two weeks in the past, which means he stored the setback beneath wraps and performed through the ache of it for not solely Sunday’s loss, however the earlier weekend’s preliminary remaining win over North Queensland.
“Gutho will play it down, but he’s got a break there and I guess that was how much he wanted to win,’’ an Eels source told The Daily Telegraph.
If ever he was going to be found out, it would have happened just minutes into the game when he was put under extreme pressure by the Panthers’ kickers.
In the first five minutes of the game, he stood under high balls from Jarome Luai and Nathan Cleary, and clearly took a grubber kick from Izack Tago, all without showing the faintest sign of pain.
He didn’t stop trying his guts out either, flooring a thundering Brian To’o with a bruising tackle in the 74th minute before scoring a try himself with four minutes to go.
Gutherson wasn’t peerless on the injury front either, with news also emerging that five-eighth Dylan Brown almost didn’t make it to the start line after suffering back spasms in the leadup to the game.
Brown pulled up lame from the Eels’ captain’s run ahead of their preliminary final win over the Cowboys, having had a history of back problems.
Parramatta centre Bailey Simonsson rounded out the injury toll after copping a bone-crunching Dylan Edwards tackle late in the game which appeared to damage his shoulder.
Simonsson said he felt a “pop” when he was tackled, and was ushered off the bottom by trainers together with his arm in a makeshift sling.
Within the aftermath of the shattering loss, Gutherson stated the outcome would gas his aspect’s tilt at a drought-breaking premiership subsequent yr.
“You’d like to think this feeling gives you a lot of motivation. None of us have felt this, so it makes you want to get back here,” Gutherson stated.
“Even a few of the Penrith boys said that was a lot of motivation for them when they lost a couple of years ago.
“We’re losing a couple of great players but whoever steps up is going to do a job for us next year.
“We’re not going to think about that now, we’re going to get in there, enjoy each other’s company and probably sit back and enjoy what we’ve achieved as a team, as a club and as people this year.
“Not many people gave us a chance to get here four, five, six weeks ago and to prove them wrong (it’s) pretty good.”
