Lockyer to miss Warriors game

Brisbane will give skipper Darren Lockyer another week off and could even back
themselves to beat Canberra in the final round without him to secure an NRL finals
berth.
Lockyer travelled to Caloundra with the team on Monday and will run on Tuesday and
Wednesday but is not expected to make the trip across the Tasman for Brisbane's
crucial showdown with the Warriors.
"In his head, he wants to play," Brisbane coach Ivan Henjak said from the team's
Sunshine Coast base.
"(But)... it would hurt him and it would hurt the team if he is not right.
"I've told Darren I don't want him to play if he isn't right. I haven't put any
pressure on him to play, and I won't.
"We have to prepare for that (Lockyer not playing) against the Warriors and the
Raiders.
"There's been suggestions we can't win without him ... we don't believe that and we
won't be taking any risks with him until we're convinced it won't jeopardise his
health."
Brisbane can drop Friday night's game to the seventh-placed Warriors and still make
their 19th successive finals if they beat a fast-finishing Raiders in the 26th and
final round of the minor premiership.
Corey Norman will fill Lockyer's spot again on Friday night with utility Matt
Gillett cleared on Monday of a lifting charge by the NRL's match review committee.
Gillett was penalised and placed on report for a lifting tackle on Newcastle reserve
Richard Fa'aoso in the 51st minute of the 44-18 loss.
Henjak, who was miffed by several refereeing decisions in the heavy loss to the
Knights, denied he'd pulled young winger Jharal Yow Yeh from the field in the second
half because he was unhappy with his effort.
Knights giant Cooper Vuna scored four tries on Yow Yeh's side, the last one off a
freakish banana kick from five-eighth Jarrod Mullen that cleared his fingers tips
and curled into Vuna's hands.
"I took Jharal off because he was shattered," said Henjak.
"He was having a tough night at the office and I could see it was getting to him."
Young hooker Andrew McCullough, who turned in a first-half blinder against the
Knights, said Lockyer hadn't indicated to the players what his chances were of
making a comeback against the Warriors.
"He's a pretty quiet sort of a bloke, I'm not too sure what he is thinking, he keeps
things close to his chest," said McCullough.
"He'll see how the week goes, he knows his own body better than anyone else."
There's no doubt a win without Lockyer would help the players' confidence and self
belief more than just get the critics off their back but McCullough said his absence
against the Knights was not the issue.
"They (Newcastle) put 44 points on us and that's got nothing to do with Locky, it's
our attitude towards defence," he said.
"We got through the Origin period where we played some really good footy against
some quality teams," said McCullough.
"If we start thinking about Locky not being there too much, we're going to be in
trouble.
Brisbane will fly to Auckland on Wednesday and stage a final training session at
Auckland Grammar school on Thursday.



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