June 06, 2008

Wendell Sailor's much-hyped return to the NRL didn't go according to plan, after the St george Illwarra winger suffered a fractured cheekbone in the clash against Brisbane.

Sailor, who had looked understandably off the pace for much of the first half, had still managed to pull out some big hits but one collision in the dying minutes of the first half meant he was unable to re-enter the field in the second.

Sailor was rushed off to hospital before the game was over with club medical officials fearing the worst.

“He'll have scans to assess whether he need an operation, it looks like he will,” Dragons doctor Paul Annett said.

“It will probably be 4-6 weeks.”

Broncos coach Wayne Bennett, who worked with Sailor before his defection to rugby union in 2002, claimed there may have been a positive to his former protege's injury woes.

“Will it stop him from talking about himself, is it that serious?” Bennett said.

“He'll be back, bigger and larger than life. He'd be talking himself up into the third Origin if he'd have played the full night.”

Dragons coach Nathan Brown praised his side's fighting qualities against a penalty count which went 10-4 in favour of the visitors and a poor opening to the second half, but admitted the win had been soured by Sailor's injury.

“You feel sorry for Dell because that first half they obviously targeted him. I thought he read it really well his first game back,” Brown said.

“It's very unfortunate, not only for Wendell but for the club and I think the game.

“A lot of people watching here were probably here to watch Wendell, that's the way she goes but he'll fight back.”