Will Warbrick’s Melbourne Storm career ended in tears after he suffered a ruptured Achilles during his side’s defeat to the Sydney Roosters on Friday night.
The Roosters beat the Storm 14-6 in a tough match at the Allianz Stadium to seal their place in the top four, moving up to second position in the league table.
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With Cameron Munster out for a month with a knee injury and Jarome Hughes also absent, the Storm put in their bravest performance of the year but it wasn’t enough as they lost another key player to injury.
Midway through the first half, Warbrick clutched his shin after Billy Smith stepped up to score from a corner for the Roosters.
The Storm winger immediately realized he had suffered a serious injury and cried as he was helped off the pitch in a medical car and comforted by his teammates.
Warbrick has scored 16 tries this season but played his final game for Melbourne given the extent of the injury – the 28-year-old will join the New Zealand Warriors on a three-year deal next season.
“He’s in tears. He knows his fate,” Kayo Sports commentator Andrew Voss said.
“It’s terrible, it’s absolutely terrible for Will Warbrick. That’s the face of a guy who might think, ‘That’s it for my Melbourne Storm career’. It’s hard to watch. It’s such a strong word.”
Greg Alexander said: “It would be heartbreaking. He’s heartbroken. He knows it’s his last game for the Melbourne Storm after signing with the Warriors.”
“It’s been a devastating year for them. It’s making it extremely difficult for them,” Michael Ennis said.
“It’s devastating for Warbrick, you can see the emotion on his face. He’s been one of the best this year and he’s hard to replace.”
Braith Anasta said: “His season is over. They don’t have Munster or Hughes. They had (Xavier) Coates and (Eli) Katoa out at the start of the year. It’s just terrible for the Melbourne Storm.”
Warbrick’s injury adds insult to injury for the Storm, who have been without Eli Katoa (concussion) and Xavier Coates (Achilles) all season.
The Storm missed two scoring opportunities late in the second half, but both chances were wasted as the Roosters took two points.
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