Knee injury leaves Reds' Chris Latham on sideline

Knee injury leaves Reds' Chris Latham on sideline
Marco Monteverde Knee injury leaves Reds' Chris Latham on sideline | The Courier-Mail
April 29, 2008 12:00am

QUEENSLAND Reds medical staff have torpedoed fullback Chris Latham's hopes of returning from a knee injury in Friday night's Super 14 clash against the Blues at Suncorp Stadium.

Latham, who has not played since the Reds' 29-14 loss to the Cheetahs on April 6, had planned on making an earlier than expected comeback after being encouraged by the results of a private training run on Sunday.

But the decision was left up to the Reds medicos, who yesterday advised Latham to sit out another week before coming back for Queensland's home battle against the Crusaders on May 10.

"Of course I'm disappointed about missing this week because I want to be there for every game possible," said the 32-year-old custodian, who is in the final days of his Reds career before leaving for Worcester in England.

"But by coming back against the Crusaders, it will still be a week ahead of when I was originally supposed to come back (against the Waratahs on May 17)."

Reds coach Phil Mooney said with the clash against the Blues being less than a week after a plucky Queensland's 32-20 weekend loss to the Chiefs, there was not enough time for Latham to get the sufficient amount of "volume in his legs" to take on the Auckland-based outfit.

"It's a short turnaround, which hasn't helped Latho's cause," Mooney said.

"But he should be right for the Crusaders."

John Roe (shoulder) remains in serious doubt for Friday's clash, with Poutasi Luafutu or Scott Higginbotham to fill the void at the side of the Reds scrum if the former Queensland skipper is ruled out.

Halfback Sam Cordingley's chances of making his comeback from a calf injury this week will be determined at training this morning.

If Cordingley was again ruled out, Mooney said Ben Lucas would recover from an ankle problem to again wear the No. 9 guernsey.

Cordingley, 32, will decide this week whether to stay in Queensland beyond this season or join French club Grenoble.

Rodney Blake remains a Red for now, but an announcement is imminent that the giant prop will sign a three-year deal with Bayonne in France.

Mooney described Blake, who turns 25 today, as a player with immense ability but someone who had to "work a little harder".

"If he goes to France he'll be playing higher volume rugby," he said.

The Reds coach has challenged his side to finish his season strongly, saying despite 10th-placed Queensland being out of semi-final contention, the side had plenty of motivation to do well against its final three opponents of the season – the Blues, the Crusaders and the Waratahs.

"The Blues will be desperate and we can end their semi-final hopes," Mooney said.

"With the Crusaders being coached by the new Wallabies coach, that will be motivation enough, and the Waratahs are the old enemy."