Brian To’o has revealed he played the majority of the NRL grand final despite suffering a knee injury in the game before he was eventually taken off the field.
To’o cut a battered figure in Penrith’s sheds after the game, strapped up and limping heavily on his knee after his team’s 14-6 win over Melbourne.
To’o said he had clashed knees early in the match. He still managed to run 213 metres in 57 minutes of football before being taken off by coach Ivan Cleary.
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“It’s alright, it’s just a little bit stiff,” To’o said.
“I just told them straight away, in case it was bad. I’m not too sure what it is at the moment.
“It was a bit of a knee clash at the start of the first half. It started getting to me towards the end.
“I thought I would be a bit of a liability if I was still out there.
“It’s obviously what is best for the team, the team always comes first. As much as I wanted to stay out there, I was really happy with my decision.”
To’o’s runs before he succumbed to the injury had been crucial for the Panthers, with his go-forward early in sets having been big part of their premiership four-peat.
The Samoan international busted fives tackles, while fullback Dylan Edwards and fellow winger Sunia Turuva also totalled above 200 metres.
Coach Cleary said To’o’s inability to compete on kick chases prompted him to bring the 26-year-old off.
In his place, Paul Alamoti starred with a try and a crucial late take to kill off any final-minute comeback from the Storm.
“We were getting hurt on those kick chases a bit, and the Storm are smart enough that they would pick that up,” Cleary said.
“I said, ‘Take one last carry’, and it was the best carry he (To’o) had made in 15 minutes.
“But I had already made the call, and then Paul just goes and scores that try. Just played like he had been there his whole life.”
To’o had already been in doubt for Samoa’s end-of-year tour of England, but his fate is now likely sealed.
Nathan Cleary will learn early in the week when he will undergo surgery on his injured shoulder, with the No.7 ruled out of Australia’s Pacific Championships campaign.
Fullback Dylan Edwards is set to play for Australia after being selected it’s understood he has been told he could still require surgery on his battered knee after the Pacific Championships.