Indigenous All Stars representative Josh Curran will rest up after a scary moment in his Bulldogs' hard fought 22-18 win over Parramatta in front of 45,000 at Accor Stadium on Monday.
In the 38th minute, Curran was left motionless on the turf after copping a hip to the head while attempting to tackle Parramatta lock Joe Ofahengaue.
Curran didn't return to play, with replays appearing to show the 25-year-old was knocked out before hitting the ground as play continued down the field.
It was Ofahengaue who has received praise from fans and pundits after immediately turning to care for Curran, and staying by his side until Bulldogs coaching staff arrived.
Curran was later said to be on his feet in the sheds, with Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo saying he and teammate Bailey Hayward - who was also ruled out with concussion earlier in the first half, would be given time to fully mend as the club head into their bye next weekend.
"They'll be able to rest up and get back to full health," Ciraldo said post match.
The Bulldogs coach commended his side for an "incredibly tough performance" after absorbing a host of setbacks through injury in addition to the concussion blows, a sin bin and 9-4 penalty count against them.
For the Eels, coach Trent Barrett said the wrong call was made in J'maine Hopgood backing up his Maroons debut performance played five days earlier on quick return to clubland.
Hopgood played just 33 minutes with Barrett revealing the suffering from nerve concerns in his back after his first taste at Origin football.
"In hindsight, J'maine Hopgood probably shouldn't have played. He's got a nerve problem in his back. It was a big effort for him to get out there, but he was fairly hampered by that from Origin the other night," Barrett said.
Asked if it had been an ongoing concern, Barrett levelled some of the blame at a crunching hit Hopgood had worn from NSW forward Liam Martin late in the series opener.
"I think Liam Martin had a fair bit to do with it last week. So we'll see," Barrett said.
"He's a tough fella, (Hopgood) but we've got to learn from that as well, and we've got a short turnaround so we'll have to manage that this week."
