Moses Suli‘s Anzac Day match was abruptly cut short, lasting only 13 seconds before a severe injury sustained in a violent encounter on the field against the Roosters, who later celebrated a stellar 60-18 victory.
The epic game started with an emotional pre-match ceremony at the acclaimed Allianz Stadium in Sydney. The Dragons initiated kickoff which followed with Jared Waerea-Hargreaves executing his famous open hit-up strategy.
The Roosters‘ dominant player, Waerea-Hargreaves, collided into three defenders from St George Illawarra and unfortunately, Suli found himself in the harsh receiving end of the Dragons‘ defensive sandwich just 13 seconds into the game.
A bystander at the scene reported that the heads of the two players, Waerea-Hargreaves and Suli, clashed and this resulted in a knock-out collision that left the Dragon’s centre man immobile and dazed on the field.
Immediately, medical staff were summoned to the scene and Suli was quickly assisted off the field. Following his removal from the game, Suli was seen looking woefully from the sidelines for the rest of the game.
The severity of Suli’s injury was categorised as a level one concussion, which subsequently prompted his replacement by the Dragon’s versatile player, Jack De Belin.
Fox League’s commentator, Andrew Voss, remarked on the incident, “First run, Moses Suli is out and gone. The first hit up of the match. Suli went down like a ten pin.”
Adding to Voss’s comments, fellow commentator Michael Ennis stated, “that was brutal, brutal contact there” commending the courage displayed by the three defenders who collided with Waerea-Hargreaves.
Whilst the Dragons started strong, when the Roosters retaliated it was a force to reckoned with. Roosters‘ halfback Sam Walker led a stunning offensive line, having a hand in everything, as the Roosters bagged five tries in the first half alone, ending up with a 30-6 lead over the Dragons at halftime.
The second half was a recurring nightmare for the Dragons as the Roosters continued their roll by adding five more tries to their tally resulting in an impressive 42-point victory.