The NRL finals hopes of both the Warriors and Bulldogs have taken a major hit, following injuries to key forwards Tohu Harris and Max King. The news is particularly brutal for Warriors captain Harris, who is set to miss the remainder of the season due to a chronic wrist injury.
Harris has been playing through the pain of the wrist injury for the majority of the year, despite missing four games for the New Zealand side in the middle of the season. The veteran Kiwi international did make a brief return but was below his influential best for Andrew Webster’s side when he did take the field.
It’s a huge blow for the Warriors’ faint finals hopes in 2024, with Webster’s men currently 12th on the ladder and facing a tricky run home that includes four games out of seven against teams currently in the top-eight. Webster’s men came within one win of making the NRL grand final last season and looked to have strengthened their squad in 2024 but injuries to key players such as Harris, Shaun Johnson and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, plus a dip in for the likes of Addin Fonua-Blake have hit the Warriors hard.
The Bulldogs are currently fifth on the ladder after what has been an outstanding season so far for Cameron Ciraldo’s side, who face a crunch clash away to North Queensland on Sunday evening. The Bulldogs have nine wins from 16 games and still have one bye to come, with finals footy very much in their grasp. The loss of King will certainly test the club’s depth in their middle forwards ahead of a decent run home that also includes matches against Brisbane (away), Canberra (home), St George Illawarra (away), the Dolphins (home), Warriors (away), Manly (home) and North Queensland (home) again.
It means Cleary and Fowler got to spend around two months together before they had to start their sporting commitments again. The superstar couple have been posting a number of photos on social media, which show them enjoying romantic getaways and relaxing get-togethers during their downtime.
