Injury worries plague Eagles ahead of Sheffield game

Ahead of two crunch clashes with rivals Sheffield Sharks, Newcastle Eagles’ great start to the BBL campaign is in danger of faltering following a spate of injuries to key players.

Club captain Andrew Bridge has been unable to train this week following the facial injury he received in the tough opening Championship encounter against Guildford Heat on Friday night. Another absentee is the evergreen Charles Smith who is struggling with a hamstring injury. Both are expected to suit up against Sheffield on Friday although in the case of Smith and the nature of the injury there will be some crossed fingers on the Eagles bench.

The final and more serious injury news is that recent acquisition Joel Madourie has been ruled out for up to 6 weeks with knee ligament damage. The ex-Derby Trailblazer had become increasingly involved on court prior to his collision with boss Fab Flournoy and his energy will be missed.

The news will undoubtedly have fans hoping that the final vacant roster spot will now be filled, potentially by the waiting Drew Lasker. Not that this should overshadow what has been an encouraging start to the season for the Eagles, easing through to the BBL Trophy semi-finals and comfortably beating Guildford Heat in the first league championship game.

One thing is for sure, the Eagles will find unbeaten Sheffield a more formidable opponent than those they have faced in their previous games this season. Although it’s far too early to talk of title deciders, the results of the upcoming back to back games between the two sides will certainly give an indication of who is likely to be in the shake-up at the end of the campaign.