'Really painful' - England boss provides injury update on NRL star AJ Brimson
England boss Shaun Wane provided an injury update on fullback AJ Brimson after the NRL star was forced from the field in the early stages of their final Ashes Test.
Brimson retained his starting position at fullback in the third and final Test of the Ashes series on Saturday, but had to leave the field with a shoulder injury in the opening minutes, and was replaced by Mikey Lewis, who slotted in the No. 1 role for the remaining 75 minutes.
“He’s really, really damaged his AC, so bad, and they are really, really painful,” said Wane. “He was so gutted to come off, he is a brave kid and he’s loved his time here. He has been a great addition to our squad. I’ve been really impressed.
"That hurt us a lot, there is no doubt about that – that hurt the way we do everything, but I thought we adapted well, and that was the beauty of having Mikey on the bench. I didn’t expect to use him the way we used him. We still did some good things, but just not often enough."
The Kangaroos only led 12-8 at the break after England pulled one back in the first half through George Williams after some superb play from Jez Litten, but Australia posted 18 unanswered points in the second half to claim a 30-8 victory, and a 3-0 series whitewash as Kevin Walters’ side retained the Ashes trophy.
“There were some good things,” said Wane. “There was a period in the first half when we really put them under pressure for long periods, but you need to convert them. We just weren’t, at crucial times in the game, scoring.
"We needed to put pressure on them, and sadly, they are too good a team who will just burn you when you just don’t convert your possession.
“They’re very athletic, they’re a champion team and a worthy winners, there is no doubt about that. They scrambled really hard because they are so athletic. We found a way to score, but we just didn’t ask enough questions for long enough periods, and that’s something we need to fix.”