Gold Coast halfback Albert Kelly has been cleared of a fractured leg, in a massive relief for his high-flying team.
In a major scare for Titans fans, Kelly limped off the field in the first half on Sunday afternoon's 22-6 win over the Wests Tigers, with Channel Nine reporting that the 23-year-old was rushed to hospital for a possible leg fracture. But the fifth-year pro said after the game he merely suffered a major cork – the other leg.
"I didn't go no hospital, no fracture. [Just a] bit of a cork," Kelly said.
"I was in here watching the game from the window, eating muffins and watching the boys do the work."
"I kicked it and he tackled me in the same motion and I might've got a bump on to my leg, and just kind of felt funny after that. But I tried to run and I just couldn't," he said.
"It was more nervy and I felt like my leg died on me. I just couldn't really take off as quick. Not much power in that leg, I didn't want to be a burden for the boys.
"I think it's just a major cork for now, which is good news. I'll just be on it every night, icing, eating, compression, make sure that it'll be right for the next game."
Titans coach John Cartwright bemoaned the slow pace of the game, suggesting that officials have relaxed on the third man in tackles.
"If you look back to when the year started, the third man in, there was a lot less of that happening," he said.
"[There] seems to be a little bit more back in the game now. I'm not saying it's a bad thing - I don't necessarily think we want a game of touch footy. But it's certainly different to what it has been."
Co-captain Nate Myles – who was sin-binned in the first half for a professional foul – agreed that the game was slower than usual this season.
"It was like winding the clock there a bit. It was bash and barge there for a while. I don't know if that's the rule changes or maybe playing at Leichhardt, where it's a little bit slower," he said.
"But I thought today, both sides, I thought it was a good game of footy. Although it was a bit slow, there was some physical stuff in there."
Cartwright reserved special praise for impact hooker Paul Carter, who played the rest of the game after Kelly came off and set up a crucial try in the second half off a charge-down.
"He certainly added impact. When he come to us, you're always hopeful that a player will come and make a difference to your side, but he's only very young and hadn't played first-grade so wasn't really sure of the impact that he would make," he said.
"We were confident that he would at some stage but pretty much from game one, his work off the bench has turned the game for us and I thought again today, even though we were in front, we were under some heavy fire and he come out and returned it and give as good as he got.
"That's what the players love about him. He's just very aggressive and he didn't care how big they are. He just keeps coming."
In a major scare for Titans fans, Kelly limped off the field in the first half on Sunday afternoon's 22-6 win over the Wests Tigers, with Channel Nine reporting that the 23-year-old was rushed to hospital for a possible leg fracture. But the fifth-year pro said after the game he merely suffered a major cork – the other leg.
"I didn't go no hospital, no fracture. [Just a] bit of a cork," Kelly said.
"I was in here watching the game from the window, eating muffins and watching the boys do the work."
Watch the NRL LIVE with a 2-week free trial.
Get the NRL Digital Pass now!
"I kicked it and he tackled me in the same motion and I might've got a bump on to my leg, and just kind of felt funny after that. But I tried to run and I just couldn't," he said.
"It was more nervy and I felt like my leg died on me. I just couldn't really take off as quick. Not much power in that leg, I didn't want to be a burden for the boys.
"I think it's just a major cork for now, which is good news. I'll just be on it every night, icing, eating, compression, make sure that it'll be right for the next game."
Titans coach John Cartwright bemoaned the slow pace of the game, suggesting that officials have relaxed on the third man in tackles.
"If you look back to when the year started, the third man in, there was a lot less of that happening," he said.
"[There] seems to be a little bit more back in the game now. I'm not saying it's a bad thing - I don't necessarily think we want a game of touch footy. But it's certainly different to what it has been."
Co-captain Nate Myles – who was sin-binned in the first half for a professional foul – agreed that the game was slower than usual this season.
"It was like winding the clock there a bit. It was bash and barge there for a while. I don't know if that's the rule changes or maybe playing at Leichhardt, where it's a little bit slower," he said.
"But I thought today, both sides, I thought it was a good game of footy. Although it was a bit slow, there was some physical stuff in there."
Cartwright reserved special praise for impact hooker Paul Carter, who played the rest of the game after Kelly came off and set up a crucial try in the second half off a charge-down.
"He certainly added impact. When he come to us, you're always hopeful that a player will come and make a difference to your side, but he's only very young and hadn't played first-grade so wasn't really sure of the impact that he would make," he said.
"We were confident that he would at some stage but pretty much from game one, his work off the bench has turned the game for us and I thought again today, even though we were in front, we were under some heavy fire and he come out and returned it and give as good as he got.
"That's what the players love about him. He's just very aggressive and he didn't care how big they are. He just keeps coming."
