Raiders hooker Danny Levi has been left with a suspected broken jaw and missing teeth after a brutal collision in his team’s win over the Sharks.
Levi was forced off just two minutes into the Raiders’ 24-20 win with blood streaming from his mouth after his head collided with the shoulder of the on-rushing Teig Wilton.
“He dropped into the tackle and a bit of footwork there from Teig Wilton and his shoulder collected Danny Levi right on the jaw,” league great Greg Alexander said on Fox League’s coverage.
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“He didn’t look good leaving the ground.”
Levi immediately called for a replacement and was replaced by Tom Starling.
It then emerged that Levi had also lost a couple of teeth in the incident, with NRL officials unsuccessful in their attempt to locate the teeth during the half-time interval.
The Raiders recovered from the early loss of Levi to secure a vital win, with a Corey Horsburgh double and tries to Albert Hopoate and Matthew Timoko sealing the deal.
Canberra looked headed towards a comfortable win when a Jamal Fogarty conversion after Horsburgh’s second try in the 51st minute gave the Raiders a 14-point lead, but there would end up being a grandstand finish.
Shark throws punch, sent to sin bin
Horsburgh’s second try came just moments after he was involved in an altercation with Royce Hunt behind the play, with replays appearing to show Hunt striking the Raiders try-scorer in the face. Hunt was sent to the sin bin as a result of the incident.
The Sharks stormed home, with tries to Jesse Ramien (55th minute) and Briton Nikora (71′) putting the away side within striking distance of a major heist.
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There was visible relief from Raiders coach Ricky Stuart on the sidelines at the final whistle as his side held on for their first win of the season.
The Raiders will travel to Newcastle to take on the Knights next week, while the Sharks will take on the Dragons.
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