Roosters look to fill Napa-sized NRL hole

Sydney Roosters prop Dylan Napa has left a significant hole in Trent Robinson's pack after being suspended for three games for dangerous contact.

Napa

Dylan Napa has been suspended for three games for his high shot on Brisbane's Andrew McCullough. (AAP)

The Sydney Roosters have a massive Dylan Napa-shaped hole to fill in their forward pack for the start of the NRL's finals.

And they won't do it easily after the Queensland State of Origin prop copped a three-game ban for the hit that knocked out Brisbane hooker and Maroons teammate Andrew McCullough.

At 198cm and 113kg, Napa weighs in as the second-placed Roosters' tallest and biggest forward.

In a small boost for the Tricolours, they're expected to have Kiwi prop Jared Waerea-Hargreaves available to face Parramatta from a rib injury.

Waerea-Hargreaves will partner Sio Siua Taukeiaho and the pair bring their size but it's the middle men off the bench - where coach Trent Robinson would've banked on having one of the aforementioned trio - that's now a bigger concern.

Zane Tetevano is the only likely middle interchange option to weigh in at above 100kg from last week's loss to Brisbane, while Nat Butcher and Mitch Aubusson are far lighter.

"(Dylan)'s a big body and one of the leaders of our go forward. It's a hole we'll need to fill," Roosters co-captain Jake Friend said.

"As a team we've got to deal with it.

"Someone will come in and fill Dylan's spot and hopefully we can get ourselves far enough into the season to make sure we get another game this year."

Napa's numbers have been down this year in a season disrupted by injuries but his big-game experience will be huge loss for Robinson's side.

Neither of the men likely to fill his boots in the 17 in Nat Butcher or Lindsay Collins have played any.

But Butcher does at least have his advantages.He's had the chance to play 12 games this year through several unavailabilities in the Roosters' pack, and has become statistically their most reliable defender in the process.

"It's good for the boys who have come in and done the job while players have been out," Friend said.

"They're going to have to do that now again while Dylan is out ... So that's a bonus they've got a few games under their belts."


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Source: AAP


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