Richard Penisini, a youngster with the Parramatta Eels, will miss the entire 2024 NRL season due to an ACL injury.
The injury, sustained during pre-season training, will sideline Penisini, the younger brother of star centre Will, for nine to twelve months.
In the best-case scenario, he’d be ready to begin pre-season training for the 2025 season.
It’s unclear when the injury occurred, but the club confirms the youngster has already undergone surgery and begun his rehabilitation.
Penisini, regarded as one of the best young players in Parramatta’s junior system, made his NSW Cup debut against the Sydney Roosters at the end of the 2023 season, and he would have likely worked his way into being a mainstay in that setup during 2024 as he pushed for a first-grade debut.
Given Parramatta’s lack of depth at centre and in the backline in general, as well as some of the struggles Brad Arthur’s side had in the position throughout the 2023 season, some speculated that the youngster could have made his NRL debut in the second half of this year’s campaign.
That will no longer be the case, as Richard will need to rehabilitate his knee.
He has already been regarded as one of the primary reasons brother Will, who is a fixture in the first-grade side, re-signed with the club on a long-term contract despite interest from rugby union.
“Yes, 100%. In mid-2023, Will told News Corp, “It’s a dream for him to be able to debut for the club and a dream for us as brothers to be able to play together for the Eels.”
“If this happens, it will be a watershed moment for my family. I know he has a long way to go, but I believe that having an NRL pre-season under his belt heading into next year will help him get closer to that dream.”
The younger Penisini’s news has been mitigated at the Eels by the club’s confirmation that Ryan Matterson has resumed full training, and that fellow forward Wiremu Greig should be back on the training track in the coming weeks.
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