Southcity prop Jordan Shepherd is no certainty to front up against Brothers when the top two sides clash in this year’s highly anticipated major semi final.
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The 24-year-old injured his knee during the Bulls’ 42-22 win over the Brethren in July and missed the subsequent wins over fellow finalists Junee and since-eliminated Tumut.
“I’ve been out for the past two weeks and I’m not too sure whether I’ll get back out there this weekend,” Shepherd said.
“The doctors said it was a meniscus tear in the knee, so it wasn’t too bad an injury – only enough to put me out for a couple of games.
“I’ll check in with the medics on Tuesday night and they’ll be able to tell me then whether I’m able to play against Brothers.”
Shepherd is yet to recapture the attacking form that saw him cross for nine tries during last year’s title-winning campaign but has still racked up plenty of metres and tackles for the dominant Southcity pack in 2018.
He’s holding out hope of an early return against Brothers this weekend and more confident of returning for the Bulls’ following fixture.
“Hopefully it’s not too much longer before I can play and I reckon I’ll definitely play the next game, if not this one,” Shepherd said.
The Bulls finished the regular season two wins clear of Brothers to clinch yet another minor premiership and head into the contest off the back of a nine-game winning streak.
Interestingly, Shepherd believes the club’s two losses to Kangaroos and Brothers prior to their streak were key to the form that followed.
“It’s been a pretty good year for us and we’ve been playing well, but I think those couple of losses in the middle of the year were really important for us,” he said.
Nearing the end of his sixth year with the club, Shepherd is eager to add to the Bulls’ glistening trophy cabinet.
“We’ve done pretty well the past few seasons,” he said.
“It’d be nice to add to that and go three wins in a row.”
Brothers’ poor late-season form and horror injury toll hands Southcity the favourites tag when the sides lock horns at Harris Park on Saturday afternoon.
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