By STEVE MASCORD
AUSTRALIA forward Jake Trbojevic’s World Cup is in doubt due to a pectoral muscle injury while England’s Sam Burgess will likely be sidelined until the quarter-finals.
That was the injury news as the green-and-golds opened the tournament with an 18-4 win at AAMI Park in front of 22,724 fans. For much of the second half it was 10-4, with a penalty goal and breakaway try providing a deceptive scoreline.
Burgess was forced off late in the first half. “It’s a medial ligament, that’s three or four weeks,” said coach Wayne Bennett. “We played with him for an hour and I don’t think we lost much.”
Trbojevic’s injury was far less prominent but could be far more calamitous. “He has gone to hospital with a pec injury and we all know how serious they can be,” said coach Mal Meninga.
Bennett said of the defeat: “It’s a journey, not a destination.”
