![\"Christian](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1791144858_876_635402f1698dc5687fb8f98be5c093fe76cbc56f.png\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
October 5, 2026 \u2014 5:00am<\/p>\n
Save<\/p>\n
You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n
Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n Sydney Roosters coach Trent Robinson handed his premiership ring to Connor Watson after he was ruled out of the NRL Grand Final because of concussion.<\/p>\n Just as he handed his title ring to prop Lindsay Collins after he missed out on playing in the 2018 premiership, and again the following year for Zane Tetevano, Robinson made a point of honouring Watson with the same selfless act on the field following the 19-18 win over Newcastle.<\/p>\n Back-up hooker Benaiah Ioelu, who played five NRL games all season \u2013 and did not get on the field against the Knights \u2013 also offered Watson his ring, only for the St George Illawarra-bound representative utility to quickly urge him to keep it.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2018Robbo\u2019 gave me his ring after the game, which was very nice of him \u2013 I told him he didn\u2019t have to do it, but he wanted me to take it, and said I\u2019d earned it,\u201d Watson said.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m very grateful. I did a good job with dealing with how I was feeling. After the captain\u2019s run on Saturday, I took a good 20 minutes, sat out on the field and thought about everything: the reality of the situation, how you work for this your whole life, and unfortunately you\u2019ll miss out on it because of a concussion.<\/p>\n \u201cOnce I did that, it was weight off the shoulders. By doing that, it also allowed me to enjoy today.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t get me wrong, I was still disappointed, and when the boys were running out, and I was behind them, I was like, \u2018I\u2019d love nothing more than to sprint out there\u2019. Even the back end of the game, I was like, \u2018surely I\u2019ll be sweet for a 15-minute stint\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n Watson was on the field for one minute against the Dolphins last Friday week in the preliminary final when he was knocked out. A category-two concussion was later upgraded to category-one, which meant he would have to stand down for 11 days, and miss the grand final.<\/p>\n The 30-year-old said he met with respected neurologist Chris Levi on Thursday, who was unable to clear him because of the NRL\u2019s concussion policy that was in place.<\/p>\n Related Article \u201cTwo of the five exemption protocols, the boxes you need to tick, I wasn\u2019t able to do because of the category one and having slight symptoms the next day,\u201d Watson said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe met with the NRL on Friday to see if there was anything else we could do, but unfortunately there wasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n \u201cThis club means a lot to me, it was my second stint here, I love the people here; I was putting all my energy into playing, so when Friday happened, the reality of the situation hit me, and the fact my last game for the Roosters was only for a minute \u2026 as disappointing as it is, there was so much positive stuff to take out of it.<\/p>\n \u201cIt [playing in a grand final] is everything I\u2019ve dreamed of, but people are going through way worse.\u201d<\/p>\n News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport sent every Friday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n![\"Connor](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/c9302f9c805dee1c0bffe6e06d84aa099a89826f898bce20fe336e9594b268ba.jpeg\")
Connor Watson embraces Sydney Roosters\u2019 coach Trent RobinsonNRL<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/c8a1e45ccfaede7e43ac31a14a5e2aac55d42621c8898bcb7b65044ba7f000a5.jpeg\")
The Roosters\u2019 utility missed the grand final because of concussion.NRL<\/p>\n![\"Marky](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/87888c8eaa39d2b283797ea599e36200ed1b17562406d11b606e8e3d78f66a06.gif\")
<\/a><\/p>\n