Roosters blow as Watson ruled out

Connor Watson suffered a head knock against the Dolphins. ( Getty Images: Matt Roberts )

Connor Watson suffered a category-one concussion in the preliminary final victory against the Dolphins.

The Roosters named Watson on the interchange for Sunday's grand final, but the Roosters failed to overturn his mandatory 11-day stand-down period for concussion.

Benaiah Ioelu is likely to step onto the interchange bench for the Roosters.

The Sydney Roosters have suffered a significant blow ahead of the NRL grand final, with hooker Connor Watson ruled out of the match.

In a cruel blow, Watson will miss Sunday's decider against his former club Newcastle and become the first player to sit out a grand final as a result of a concussion.

Watson was dazed and was taken from the field moments after coming on in the Roosters' preliminary final win over the Dolphins.

Under the NRL's protocol, players diagnosed with a category-one concussion, as Watson was, face a mandatory stand-down period of 11 days.

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