- Brian To’o is ‘nursing’ a hamstring injury
- Looked fine during impressive dance routine
- Jillaroos star Sarah Togatuki also had the moves
- Players wowed the crowd at NRL Fan Fest in Vegas
Panthers coach Ivan Cleary has admitted he was ‘freaking out’ when injured star Brian To’o busted out a backflip during an impromptu dance routine for thousands of footy fans in Las Vegas.
But Cleary says his superstar winger will return for Penrith’s next NRL game on March 14 after his sore hamstring pulled up fine following his on-stage antics.
With music pumping, punters cheering and Cronulla players throwing footballs into the crowd, Warriors coach Andrew Webster declared ‘the NRL had taken over Las Vegas’.
Amid the excitement, the two on-stage presenters challenged each team to nominate their best dancer to hype up the crowd, with Sharks stars Braydon Trindall and Will Kennedy particularly impressive.
At pre-season training, To’o strained his hamstring seriously enough to miss the Panthers’ season opener against Cronulla at Allegiant Stadium this Sunday (AEDT).
But To’o, one of the NRL’s liveliest characters, said he simply could not resist a ‘dance-off’ against the Sharks.
‘I had to represent the brothers so that just pretty much came out,’ he said.
It comes as Penrith are beginning life without Jarome Luai, James Fisher-Harris and Sunia Turuva in round one and To’o’s injury loomed as yet another blow.
Panthers coach Ivan Cleary has admitted he was ‘freaking out’ when injured star Brian To’o busted out a backflip during an impromptu dance routine for thousands of fans in Las Vegas
To’o said he simply could not resist a dance in front of footy supporters in Sin City (pictured right)
To’o (pictured, at the Fan Fest) strained his hamstring seriously enough at training to miss the Panthers’ season opener against Cronulla at Allegiant Stadium this Sunday AEDT
But the Samoan international said his dance moves doubled as a test for his hamstring and was confident he would be back on the field ‘very soon’.
‘(It was) a bit of a test and it looks pretty good,’ To’o said.
As part of the routine, To’o bent down and pretended to clutch at his injured hamstring, only to body roll back up and continue dancing.
The usually unflappable Cleary admitted to being a little rattled when he saw his metre-eating winger going all out.
‘I’ve got to be honest, I was freaking out a bit,’ the coach said. ‘But he seems to have pulled up okay. That’s good news.’
To’o is expected to face the Roosters in round two back in Australia.
In To’o’s absence, second-rower Luke Garner starts in the centres to face the Sharks, with Paul Alamoti on the wing.
But attention is likely to be fixed more closely on the inexperienced Casey McLean, who slots onto the opposite wing to replace Wests Tigers recruit Turuva.
Jillaroos star Sarah Togatuki also seized her moment on stage in Sin City, much to the delight of the crowd
McLean looks set to become the youngest staple of the Panthers’ starting line-up since their dominance began with a Grand Final appearance in 2020.
Meanwhile, Jillaroos star Sarah Togatuki also seized her moment on stage in Sin City.
The Wests Tigers NRLW backrower left the crowd wanting more, with one fan cheekily declaring online she was ‘better than the Aussie breakdancer at the Olympics’, referring to Rachael Gunn, AKA ‘Raygun.’
Another posted on social media: ‘You go girl.’
