new Bronco out for the season before it started

[QLD]

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New Brisbane Bronco Aaron Gorrell face surgery and stint on sidelines

By Margie McDonald
December 08, 2008

THE Brisbane Broncos are expected to be hit with an early season blow on Tuesday, losing Aaron Gorrell for the entire 2009 NRL season.
The former St George Illawarra forward signed with Brisbane after knocking back an option on his contract with Super League club Catalans.

But he hurt his knee in training last week and underwent an MRI scan. The results have been forwarded to Brisbane orthopaedic surgeon Peter Myers, who will see Gorrell on Tuesday.

Fears are that the hooker has damaged his anterior cruciate ligament, which would spell the end of his season before it has even started.

Gorrell has only been in training at his new club for a month.

He told the Broncos website a week ago that his French club, which finished third on the Super League table, wanted him to exercise a one-year option. "But the Broncos came up and it was too good an opportunity to pass up," Gorrell said.

He also spoke excitedly at having the chance to play alongside Israel Folau, Darren Lockyer, Justin Hodges and Karmichael Hunt.

Brisbane has lost regular first-grade hooker Michael Ennis to the Bulldogs, leaving the hooking options down to PJ Marsh and Toyota Cup (under-20s) star Andrew McCullough, who played three NRL games this year and helped the Broncos to the under-20s grand final.

In other news, South Sydney half-back and Dally M rookie of the year Chris Sandow has been named in an emerging 14-man Queensland Origin squad.

The Kingaroy-born Sandow joins Samoan World Cup star Lagi Setu (now with Brisbane), Manly's premiership-winning hooker Matt Ballin, Micheal Luck (Warriors), Brett Seymour (Sharks), Maurice Blair (Penrith), Will Chambers (Melbourne) and Ashley Graham (Cowboys) in the Maroons' B-side.
The squad will train with the Queensland Origin team at various times for the three-match series starting in Melbourne on June 3.

Setu, who was born in Auckland and played rugby union when he first arrived in Queensland, was a Junior Kangaroo in 2007 and has spent the past two seasons with the Dragons.

Meanwhile, no action will be taken against Canberra's Dane Tilse or the Bulldogs' Nick Kouparitsas after the pair tangled in a taxi queue outside an ACT nightclub a week ago. Police were called to subdue the pair after an argument turned into a physical altercation.

Tilse arrived at Canberra training on Monday with a swollen and blackened left eye. The pair spent the night in the watch-house to sober up but no charges were laid.

Both clubs say the pair have been upfront and honest about the incident and would not be penalised any further.[/b]

reminds me when Mick Ennis got injured for the year.
feel for the bloke, happens too much these days and the feeling that your not playing for another 15 months must be shocking.

i like the 2nd part of the article - Sandow, Setu, Ballin, Luck and Chambers are guns.

sandow has some compitition though 3 of the best halfbacks in front of him
setu could even play this year i reckon if starts well for the Broncos, replacing tunza carroll
Ballin was exceptional for the seagles, but Smith has the mortgage on the nine jersey
Luck is a hooker too
Chambers was injured all season this year, but one to look out for - him and inglis in the centres for storm will do damage. even better because hes from NT but Queensland got him yesss