Connor Tracey Hospitalised with Rare Abdominal Injury as Bulldogs Sweat on Finals
So, some tough news has come out of the NRL world—specifically for the Canterbury Bulldogs—regarding their in-form fullback Connor Tracey. Just after a massive win over Manly, it was revealed that Tracey had to be taken to hospital. And this wasn’t your standard bumps and bruises kind of injury. He actually suffered a painful and quite rare abdominal issue that had everyone on edge for a moment.
Now, here’s the thing—Tracey played the entire game on Sunday, and he played it well. He was instrumental in the Bulldogs' dominant 42-4 performance, running for over 300 metres, defending hard, and even making a try-saving tackle. But after the game, he was in serious pain. It turns out the problem was linked to his inferior epigastric artery, which is not something you often hear mentioned in rugby league injuries.
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Phil Gould, the Bulldogs’ general manager, confirmed on Nine's 100% Footy that surgery was initially feared. Thankfully, that’s been ruled out for now. It’s been determined that it’s “just the artery” that’s affected—though that still sounds quite uncomfortable—and while he won’t need surgery, he will need at least three weeks of complete rest before he can even think about light training again.
That timeline puts a serious cloud over his availability for the finals. There are still six regular-season games to go, and while Gould said he’s hopeful Tracey could be back in time, it’s far from a certainty. That’s not great news for the Dogs, especially since Blake Taaffe—who could’ve filled in at fullback—is also sidelined with a hamstring issue.
Coach Cameron Ciraldo also weighed in, saying Tracey had been dealing with a minor abdominal strain over the past few weeks, but this latest incident really escalated things. Despite that earlier discomfort, Tracey had still been one of the Dogs’ most consistent and impactful players. Losing him now, as the club pushes for a strong finals run, is a serious blow.
There’s talk of reshuffling the backline to make up for his absence, with players like Jacob Kiraz possibly stepping into different roles. It’s going to test the squad’s depth and flexibility, for sure.
At the end of the day, it’s just really unfortunate timing for both Tracey and the Bulldogs. He’s been in great form, helping drive the team’s momentum just when they needed it. Hopefully, the rest does the trick, and we see him back in blue and white before the season ends.
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