https://www.dailymercury.com.au/news/intrust-super-cup-round-one-injury-setback-for-key/3668192/ RUGBY LEAGUE: It was a sorry sight to behold when Mackay Cutters fullback Carlin Anderson was stretchered from the field on Saturday. The enigmatic custodian suffered a severe concussion, and a break in his back, late in his side's 24-12 loss to Easts Tigers in round one of the Intrust Super Cup. Cutters coach Steve Sheppard has options at his disposal to fill the No. 1 jumper, with Pauli Byrnes and Yamba Bowie to contest for the spot. While Sheppard is confident he has the troops to capably fill Anderson's void, the dynamic fullback will be missed. "When Carlin went down hurt, it disappointed the group a fair bit because it wasn't really pretty,” he said. "He was lucky to get on the plane this morning, but he's back in Townsville ... so he'll see the Cowboys staff during the week to get more of an indication of how long he's going to be.” In an arm wrestle of a contest, the Cutters turned in a tough display in the first half.
However, the Tigers' ability to pounce on errors prevented the visitors from bringing the points back to the Sugar City. Sheppard praised the efforts of Dan Russell, Shane Wright and Jordan Kenworthy, with the latter labelled "sensational” by his coach. Five-eighth Jack Hickson also stood up in defence, and put in a deft grubber kick for prop Ross Bella to score the game's opening try. Sheppard was pleased with his team's attitude but lamented its inability to convert its opportunities. "I couldn't fault the effort,” he said. "I thought for the first 50 minutes we set that game up and had the opportunity to capitalise. Then they dropped the ball four times on tackle one. "We need to make sure our ball handling is better and our fifth tackle options are a lot smarter. We should've been a lot better in that position, but it's only round one -we've got to learn from it and get better moving forward.” This weekend's clash with South Logan Magpies will give the Cutters the chance to bounce back in front of their home crowd. Offsetting the loss of Anderson, vice-captain Jayden Hodges will return to the side after missing Saturday's clash through suspension. Super League recruit Lloyd White is also expected to arrive this week, but Sheppard said he was not guaranteed to play this weekend. "He definitely brings a lot of experience, he's a good defender and he's certainly got a good kicking game too,” he said of the Widnes Vikings' import. "We'll just have to see where he's at and make sure he's comfortable in our system, so we'll make a call later in the week.”
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