Would one of the other international squads beating the All Blacks in World Cup make the New Zealand Warriors better?
After the NRL publicly admitted the gaffe made by the referee in the one-point win by Melbourne, it seems that the universe is out to balance the books and make one New Zealand side pay for the success of another.
Well, if good news is any sort of harbinger, the return of Aucklander Kieran Foran to the bench for Canterbury for the NRL match with Manly could be positive portent.
Foran was supposed to miss 12 weeks after needing surgery for a syndesmosis injury. That is a high ankle sprain for those of us who are not played handsomely to play football.
The speedy recovery is just the sort of miracle the Warriors could use if they are to figure into the equation for NRL finals. Kieran returning to his birth land to play for the Warriors would be another welcome miracle.
We once sprained an ankle, but we don’t know the medical term for low ankle sprain, but it required the better part of a year to get back to normal, so Foran returning in the span of a month is good news for the Bulldogs and bad news for the Eagles, although it is doubtful that Canterbury will give Foran much, if any, work so soon after returning.
The casualty ward may need a new wing soon, with as many as seven of the NRL clubs potentially needing to shift their halves around.
Manly will be playing Canterbury without Daly Cherry-Evans and will be reliant on Kane Elgey to fill the big boots of Cherry-Evans.
No pressure, mate. Just think of the lot of teenage halfback Tom Dearden, who will make his debut for the Broncos come Saturday when Brisbane clashes with South Sydney.
It makes our ankle experience phantom pain from the mere thought of it.