Raiders star breaks jaw after being hit by NRL officials ‘searching for missing TEETH’ on the field at half-time…as Canberra overcome injury crisis to beat Cronulla in thriller
- Danny Levi broke his jaw in a collision with Teig Wilton on Sunday
- NRL officials were seen searching his teeth on the field at half-time
- The Raiders overcame an injury crisis to beat Cronulla 24-20 in a thriller
Canberra hooker Danny Levi suffered a broken jaw after taking second best in a collision with Sharks forward Teig Wilton.
Levi walked off the field clutching his bloody face just two minutes into the Raiders’ 24-20 win over Cronulla at GIO Stadium, with NRL officials scanning the field at half-time looking for his missing tooth.
‘NRL officials are currently at the ground looking for Danny Levi’s teeth,’ former NRL star Mick Ennis told Fox League at the break.
The Raiders are already missing star prop Josh Papali’i, Xavier Savage and wingers Nick Cotric and Jordan Rapana but have coped with Levi’s early departure.
They led 24-10 on 56 minutes but had to hang on for dear life at the end, after back-to-back Cronulla tries the home side threatened to pinch the points before Canberra’s defense pulled away in the result.
Canberra hooker Danny Levi suffered a broken jaw early in the game against the Sharks
The Raiders star was forced to leave the field clutching his bloodied face
An NRL official was seen scanning the field for Levi’s missing teeth at half-time
It was a much-needed win for the Raiders, who were unlucky to lose their opening two matches of the year on their two-game tour of Queensland.
Their hero was Corey Horsburgh, the bench prop who scored two tries and doubled his 63-game career tally in the process with a pair of devastating runs. Cronulla had little chance of stopping.
In dramatic scenes, Horsburgh was punched by Sharks enforcer Royce Hunt in the back field but got up and scored on the next play, as the Raiders stamped their authority on the contest.
Hunt was binned for the knock but Cronulla scored despite being a man down through Jesse Ramien, as they drew within a point when second-rower Briton Nikora crossed with seven minutes to play.
Without their Dally M-winning halfback Nicho Hynes (calf), they benefited from a sharp attacking display from dynamic winger Ronaldo Mulitalo, who created the game’s opening try with a magical footwork before scoring one courtesy of Will Kennedy’s delicate kick.
The Raiders hit back with a good cut-out pass by Jack Wighton which allowed Albert Hopoate to score in the corner, and Horsburgh took the lead when he crashed over from close range.
Raider center Matt Timoko gave them some breathing room early in the second with a trademark scrambling try, breaking tackles and surging over the line for 18-10.
Bench hooker Tom Starling played nearly 80 minutes after Levi’s early injury and produced a quality display, finding two try assists and driving Canberra around the park with class.
Raiders star Joe Tapine kicked a game-high 158m, while Siosifa Talakai led Cronulla with 150m.
The loss leaves Cronulla 1-2 although they will not be panicking, especially with Hynes expected to return immediately for next Sunday’s clash with New Zealand.
Deputizing for Hynes, halfback Braydon Trindall continued to show his class with two try assists.
