Bennett’s crippling injury toll worsens with two more rising stars grounded
South Sydney’s horrific injury toll has worsened with hooker Peter Mamouzelos in agony with a dislocated shoulder after the 30-4 loss to Newcastle.
The tough 24-year-old was assisted from the field in the closing moments of Saturday’s Magic Round clash in what was wretched luck.
“He has got a dislocated elbow and they can’t get it back in right now so he’s in a fair bit of pain actually,” Rabbitohs coach Wayne Bennett said.
The Rabbitohs already had eight players on the injured list and were missing suspended star Latrell Mitchell for the Knights clash.
Mamouzelos is set for a stint on the sidelines, as could be star fullback Jye Gray who came off with a hamstring problem midway through the second-half.
Gray suffered a similar injury the previous week and Bennett said he was no certainty to be back for Friday night’s home clash with Brisbane.
“Latrell will be back but I am not sure about anybody else,” Bennett said.
The coach, speaking after the club’s fourth loss in a row, said injuries were not to blame for the side’s poor form.
“We use it as an excuse and we are not going to get any better or improve ourselves,” Bennett said. “We just have to live with that. We can do better than we did today.
“It’s the NRL. No-one is going to give you compensation for that. I don’t want our players to use it as an excuse.
Latrell Mitchell. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
“They all get well paid and they all think they want to be first-graders. They have got to play like first-graders, it is as simple as that.
“It’s a concern. How do I fix your attitude? I can’t. It’s personal. They have got to fix it, of course they have. They have got to own it first.”
Despite his criticism of the team, Bennett said Rabbitohs fans could take heart from the grit in the squad.
“At 18-0 we could have been beaten by 50-odd,” he said.
“They have got a team that won’t give up. We have been in the situation two or three times the last month when we could have been beaten by 50 or 60 points. They will hang in and keep fighting back.”
© AAP
