Broncos' Roberts out for up to four weeks

Apr 28, 2017 - 6:34 AM James Roberts' NSW State of Origin hopes are still alive after the Brisbane star was cleared of a broken ankle on Friday.

It was feared the Broncos centre would be out for a long period after suffering what appeared to be a serious ankle injury in Thursday's NRL win over Penrith.

However scans on Friday revealed Roberts would only miss four weeks due to damaged ligaments in the foot.

It opens the door for him to play some part in the series, even though game one on May 31 would be his first game back.

Roberts staked his claim for a Blues spot with a sublime display highlighted by an 85m runaway try in his team's 32-18 NRL win over the Panthers.

Broncos coach Wayne Bennett believes the Broncos juggernaut would keep rumbling along without Roberts after moving into the top four with a fourth straight win.

"I think we are going good. We are picking up injuries along the way but we are still getting the job done," he said.

"We lose (halfback) Ben Hunt (three weeks ago) and nobody blinks an eye because we are a confident footy team.

"That's the way we make them at the Broncos - get on with life and get the job done. We lose James for a while, we will get someone else in there and we will get the job done."

Bennett is so confident he believes Brisbane can even overcome their biggest hurdle: the dreaded State of Origin period.

He said their depth and 6-3 season start had them in an ideal place to not only survive but thrive without their Origin stars.

"We are in a good position," he said.

"We are playing good football. We haven't had a bad game all season, we are committed and we can improve. That's always the biggest room in the house - room for improvement."

Brisbane set up the win by racing to a 22-0 halftime lead, scoring four tries including Roberts' 18th-minute stunner.

He pounced on a spilt Isaah Yeo ball then showed why he is considered the NRL's fastest man, pinning the ears back to outsprint three Penrith defenders.

However, disaster struck for Roberts in the 74th minute thanks to friendly fire.

His ankle was injured when his leg crashed heavily into teammate Matt Gillett in a tackle.

Source: AAP