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'Major concerns': Fears for Jake Friend's career after worrying moment

Riley Morgan
·Sports Reporter
·3-min read
Jake Friend (pictured) unconscious after a head clash against Manly in Round 1.
The Roosters are monitoring Jake Friend (pictured) after he was was knocked out in the game against Manly. (Getty Images)

There is real concern within the NRL and Roosters community that captain Jake Friend may have played his last game, despite him being in good spirits after the horrible concussion on the weekend.

Friend suffered a nasty concussion, his third in six months, during the Roosters' 46-4 victory over Manly in their Round 1 clash.

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The No.9 dropped to the ground after a head clash with forward Andrew Davey and appeared to convulse on the ground, before he was escorted off the field and taken to hospital.

On Fox Sports' Big League Wrap, NRL reporter James Hooper confirmed there was serious concern in the Roosters camp over Friend's playing future.

“I think there’s major concerns,” he said on Fox Sports.

“You could see where Jake was convulsing on the ground, he was in a really bad way.

"He has a history of concussion — this isn’t a new injury for him — also just the toll that the game has taken on his body.

“He’s a three-time premiership winning dummy half, he plays as tough as any No.9 in the game and from bleeding on the lungs, to bicep issues, to elbow issues, to sternum issues, he’s had a variety of injuries.

“I think there are some genuine concerns.”

Roosters teammates worried about Jake Friend

Reports suggested it could have been Friend's final game after a series of head knocks to plague the latter half of his career.

It was the 31-year-old's third concussion in six months and the Roosters have a history of taking a cautious approach to head injuries.

Co-captain Boyd Cordner is sitting out the first half of the 2021 season to try to recover from his own succession of concussions and teammates on Monday were unable to shed any light on Friend's expected stint out of the game," he said.

Friend is almost certain to miss Sunday's clash with Wests Tigers at Campbelltown.

"I'm not too sure what's going to happen there. He's in good hands here, though, so I'm sure he'll get looked after in the right way," five-eighth Lachlan Lam said.

Jake Friend is attended to by team trainers after head knock during the round one NRL match between the Sydney Roosters and the Manly Sea Eagles at the Sydney Cricket Ground, on March 13, 2021
Jake Friend is attended to by team trainers after head knock during the round one NRL match between the Sydney Roosters and the Manly Sea Eagles at the Sydney Cricket Ground, on March 13, 2021, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images) (Cameron Spencer via Getty Images)

"He's in the hands of the best medical staff so he's going to be alright.

"After the game he was alright. He was a bit shattered but he's doing alright."

Centre Joey Manu was also unsure when three-time premiership-winning dummy-half Friend would be back on deck.

"But he's looking good, sort of positive. He sounded happy so hopefully it goes well for him and see how we go," Manu said.

with AAP

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