A suspected ankle injury to star playmaker Aaron Byrne has rubbed salt into Cootamundra’s wounds after the side’s 76-12 capitulation to Gundagai at home on Saturday afternoon.
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Backing up from a valiant effort against reigning premiers Southcity a week earlier, Cootamundra went toe-to-toe with the ladder-leading Tigers in the opening 20 minutes thanks to early tries from Pat Cameron and James Smith.
However, the hosts were no match for a scintillating Gundagai outfit featuring former Bulldog Luke Berkery and fell away in the second half after Byrne went down clutching his Achilles heel in the 66th minute.
The Tigers ran five tries in the playmaker’s 14-minute absence, a bleak indicator of things to come should the veteran Bulldog remain sidelined in 2017.
Speaking on Monday, a shattered Byrne said his playing prospects were unlikely.
“Yeah, it’s pretty disappointing,” he said.
“They (team medical staff) think I’ve snapped my Achilles tendon.
“I’m just waiting to see the orthopaedic surgeon in Wagga to sort it out and I’m hoping to have the surgery done later today (Monday).”
Byrne’s injury is just the latest episode in the luckless Bulldogs 2017 campaign kickstarted by an early season-ending injury to player-coach Warran Lloyd.
Now even further down on personnel and experience, bottom-placed Cootamundra must dust themselves off and shape up for a cross-town rematch with Junee at Fisher Park next weekend.
The Diesels have matched it with some of Group Nine’s high-flyers in recent weeks and currently sit seventh on the ladder, so it will take a special performance for the Dogs to avenge their 72-12 drubbing earlier this season.
