Bankwest Stadium’s surface will come under the spotlight after Sydney Roosters lost two players to serious knee injuries in their 26-12 win over St George Illawarra.

Luke Keary again showed why he is the form five-eighth in the game with a stellar second half to guide the Roosters home, after they were reduced to 15 men after 22 minutes.

But the story of the night was the injuries.

Victor Radley and Sam Verrills went down untouched in the opening 22 minutes, with the ground looking patchy following its recent heavy workload.

The Roosters fear both have suffered season-ending torn anterior cruciate ligaments.

Radley went down after charging out of the line in defence in the eighth minute.

Verrills followed him 14 minutes later, going down as he took a simple run mid-field and falling before the defensive line.

While there was no formal complaint, and no suggestion at this point the surface contributed to the injuries, a Roosters trainer is believed to have told the NRL’s ground manager boots had been getting stuck in the surface.

“The stadium turf has been holding up well under a heavy playing schedule,” a Bankwest Stadium spokesman said.

“Signs of wear and tear are a result of the winter rye grass not getting sufficient time to grow between events, but extensive pre-game testing has indicated the surface is stable and safe.

“Any injuries to players are a concern.

“The stadium team will work with the NRL and clubs to ensure the best possible surface for each and every game.”

With NRL venues limited during the coronavirus, there will have been 11 matches in 22 days at Bankwest by the end of this weekend.

There are three more scheduled for next weekend, with clubs preferring the venue given it can host 7,500 fans from next month – around three times more than suburban grounds.

The NRL moved a game from Campbelltown to Kogarah this weekend in a bid to play on a fresh surface.

Already without James Tedesco (concussion) and Josh Morris (calf) the Roosters were stretched to the limit in terms of player availability.

Down 12-10 early in the second half, it appeared they could be set for their first loss since the competition’s resumption.

But it was then Keary stepped up.

The former South Sydney playmaker had the Roosters back on top when he grubbered for Brett Morris to score in the 52nd minute, before doing it all himself in the 66th to give his team control.

Keary then put the icing on the cake with a pinpoint perfect kick for Morris to have complete a hat-trick in the dying minutes after the winger also got the Roosters’ first.

Joseph Manu, deputising for Tedesco at fullback, also had one of the plays of the season early in the game.

He chased through on his own bomb to leap high and take the ball from Matt Dufty, before flicking it back for Jared Waerea-Hargreaves to score.

Dufty was the Dragons best, providing a bullet two-man cut-out ball for Mikaele Ravalawa for the Saints’ first try.

He then helped them level the scores before the break, when he found a flying Zac Lomax who ran a nice inside line to go over and make it 10-10.