Smith injury gives Storm headache ahead of prelim

Melbourne Storm volition beryllium sweating connected the results of scans connected prima hooker Brandon Smith aft helium suffered a caput sound and failed his HIA successful his side's 40-12 triumph implicit Manly connected Friday night.

The Storm are 1 triumph distant from reaching their 2nd consecutive NRL expansive final, nevertheless a facial wounded to Smith volition beryllium a interest for manager Craig Bellamy.

"They deliberation helium mightiness person a facial fracture," the Melbourne manager said aft the win.

"It doesn't look similar it's displaced truthful until helium has a scan oregon an X-ray to spot what's there... his look has not blown up excessively bad, but similar I say, we'll conscionable person to get the scan and spot what happens from there.

"But knowing Brandon he'll beryllium doing everything helium tin to play again."

Brandon Smith of the Storm is assisted disconnected the tract aft a caput sound (Getty)

In Nine's post-game sum Paul Gallen said the wounded doesn't needfully mean Smith volition miss the preliminary last oregon expansive final.

"You tin [play]," Gallen said.

"I've played with guys that person played with breached cheekbones and small cracks successful their oculus sockets. It depends if it's displaced and if there's immoderate information to his eyesight. He'll person to person a scan to spot however atrocious it is."

NRL guru Phil Gould believes that portion Smith's wounded wasn't pretty, it did not look arsenic terrible arsenic the present infamous facial fracture suffered by Roosters centre Joseph Manu pursuing a precocious changeable from Latrell Mitchell.

"I don't unreal to beryllium a doc but the information that the swelling is retired [on the side] is simply a batch antithetic to what we saw with Manu erstwhile you've got that fracture successful the oculus socket oregon cheekbone and your look blows up erstwhile the aerial goes into it," Gould said.

Brandon Smith of the Storm is assisted by a trainer aft a caput sound (Getty)

"That doesn't look similar he's blown into his chemoreceptor and created air. That conscionable looks similar a contusion. Hopefully he's alright.

"We don't privation him retired of the crippled and he's a large limb for the Melbourne Storm."

The Storm are besides successful the useful presumption of having Origin prima Harry Grant disposable disconnected the seat should Smith beryllium incapable to play.

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