Blood clot sidelines Storm centre Chambers

Updated June 06, 2012 16:58:17

Despite feeling fantastic, Melbourne centre Will Chambers could have died from a rare blood clotting disorder that has stalled his NRL career indefinitely.

Chambers will be sidelined until he recovers from ITP (Idiopathic Thrombocytopenia) which is an auto-immune disorder.

The only symptoms he had of the illness were some red dot rashes that appeared in the 24 hours following the Storm's win over the Warriors on Sunday.

The Storm medical staff sent the 24-year-old for blood tests which discovered the rare disorder and he was rushed to hospital for treatment over 48 hours.

According to Melbourne football manager Frank Ponissi, if Chambers had ignored the symptoms and trained he may have suffered internal bleeding which could have ultimately been fatal.

"Blood platelets are required for clotting and when you have low levels when you get a bruise or a cut there's no protection so you just bleed and if you continue to internally bleed it can go to your brain which can be fatal," Ponissi said.

"It's a credit to our medical staff that they sent him for blood tests as a precaution.

"He could have trained and we could have been talking about something far worse."

Ponissi said apart from the rashes, Chambers - who returned to the Storm this season after a two-year stint playing rugby union with Queensland - felt great.

"I was sitting with him in hospital and he said, 'This is bizarre I feel fantastic so I don't know what's going on here'.

"He doesn't feel sick at all."

Chambers' mother arrived from their family home in Gove in the Northern Territory to take care of her son, who must wait for his blood platelet levels to remain at a normal level without medication before he's able to play again.

Ponissi said doctors couldn't give Chambers a timeframe for his recovery, with the disease sometimes chronic.

"It's random in how people get it and it's random in terms of how people recover from it.

"The doctors haven't ruled out the season ... they're cautious and the two keywords they're using are ongoing and indefinite."

Maurice Blair is set to take Chambers' place in the Storm line-up for Friday night's NRL clash with Wests Tigers at AAMI Park.

AAP

Tags: rugby-league, melbourne-3000

First posted June 06, 2012 14:53:32

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Broncos smell blood at Shark Park

Published:Friday, June 3, 2011 9:28 AEST

The Broncos celebrate a try by Alex Glenn during the round 13 NRL match between the Cronulla Sharks and the Brisbane Broncos at Shark Park on June 3, 2011.

Tags: sport, rugby-league, nrl, australia, nsw, cronulla-2230

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McManus says no bad blood with Tahu

Posted May 21, 2011 17:56:00

Newcastle winger James McManus says he will have no problem lining up alongside Timana Tahu in Knights colours in 2012, despite the dual international doing his best to knock his block off during a heated clash last season.

Tahu copped a four-match suspension after a stunning opening assault in his 2010 NRL return to Newcastle.

McManus was the victim of a blatant high tackle in what was Tahu's first game after walking out on the New South Wales side as a result of the race row involving Blues assistant coach Andrew Johns.

Tahu - who will not play again in 2011 due to a torn pectoral muscle - agreed this week to return to Newcastle on a two-year deal starting next season.

McManus said the former Knights premiership winner would be welcomed back to the fold.

"It's an absolute non-issue," McManus said of the possibility of any bad blood between the pair.

"Sometimes things get heated in the game - I think it was more frustration on his behalf, rather than targeted at any one particular person.

"He has already apologised - there's no drama there between me and 'T'. I got along with him really well when he was at the club and I was with the juniors.

"He's going to be a great attribute to the side. Depending on what centre he plays, it wouldn't be too bad to play outside him."

For now though, McManus remains focused on his partnership with Junior Sa'u, with the Knights out of the top eight on percentages heading into Sunday's clash against the Sydney Roosters at the Sydney Football Stadium.

McManus knows the Roosters will be desperate to atone for last week's poor performance in the loss to Cronulla, with the threat of Dally M medallist Todd Carney looming large after he made his return to the football field against the Sharks.

"He's a dominant player, Carney, and with (Mitchell) Pearce out, he'll be looking to play a major role in their team," McManus said.

"He's probably going to get his hands on the ball a bit more and his kicking game will come out a bit more without Pearce there.

"As a part of the back three, we've got to have a look at that."

Roosters prop Jason Ryles is expected to play for the first time in more than a month after his hamstring survived a week of training, with Tinirau Arona named to make his first start in place of Queensland back rower Nate Myles after four appearances off the bench.

- AAP

Tags: sport, rugby-league, nrl, australia, nsw, newcastle-2300

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