Neck fracture rules Fa'aoso out of Grand Final

Scans today revealed that Richie Fa'aoso sustained a fracture of his C7 vertebrae during the Sea Eagles' win over South Sydney and will miss the Grand Final.

Richie was taken from the field in the first half of Friday's preliminary final after receiving a heavy hit while charging toward the Rabbitohs' line.

X-Rays taken at hospital after the match did not show any damage, however an MRI scan subsequently identified the broken bone in Richie's neck.

He is stable and continues to improve. He will however miss the Grand Final and will be in a neck brace for six weeks.

Richie is understandably devastated that he'll miss the game but Sea Eagles medical staff are confident there will be no long term issues and he will be at 100 per cent by the start of the 2014 season.