7 Mar 2012

Injury problems for Manly

6:08 am on 7 March 2012

Injuries to key players, a long flight and a five-day turnaround pose huge problems for Manly ahead of their National Rugby clash with Wests Tigers according to coach Geoff Toovey.

Toovey kicked off his reign as Sea Eagles coach in tremendous fashion with a thrilling 26-20 win over the Warriors at Eden Park in Auckland.

However, the victory came at a cost with centre Steve Matai breaking his hand and Glenn Stewart and Kieran Foran also going down with injuries.

New Zealand star Matai will be sidelined for up to six weeks and Stewart, who was initially named in the side to play the Tigers, has been withdrawn after scans on his dislocated finger.

Stewart will now have surgery and is expected to miss at least two weeks.

Foran, who is is battling the effects of knee and ankle injuries, is also included, but Toovey will give him up until game day to prove his fitness.