Hull FC head coach John Cartwright has given an early prognosis on Will Pryce after the full-back suffered a knee injury in the loss to Wigan Warriors.
The Black and Whites lost 34-6 with their only try coming late in the game from former Wigan man Harvie Hill when Wigan appeared to have a late lapse of concentration.
A disappointing night became a very concerning one just minutes later when Will Pryce went down holding his knee after a tackle from Junior Nsemba, with the full-back recieving medical attention. Importantly, he was able to leave the field under his own steam, however, the concerns were obvious given Pryce’s prior injury history.
Speaking to Sky Sports post-match, John Cartwright gave an initial early prognosis, stating: “I quickly spoke to the doctor there, and they said they were happy that it was stable. It’s still very early, so hopefully it’s stable, and that’s a good sign.”
Should Pryce miss time through injury then he’d join a long casualty list but Cartwright did offer some hope when speaking about the possible return dates of those who missed out.
He said: “Zak Hardaker could be back. John Asiata’s very close. Jake Arthur’s very close. Herman (Ese’ese) is out for a while, and (James) Bell is not far away.
“Look, they’re not far away, there’s troops coming, so there’s no panic stations, but we’ve got to address the area that we come up short tonight, that was through the middle of the field.”
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Wigan dominated through the middle early on and that saw them open up a 12-0 lead after just ten minutes, with Cartwright admitting that he expected a fast start, though he expressed disappointment at being unable to match it.
“Yeah, we were on the end of it, weren’t we,” he said when asked to give his initial thoughts.
“We came here expecting them to be in that sort of mood. We just had to match it, but it was a good old-fashioned match-up.
“It always is (disappointment) when you roll through the middle like that, and it’s not just on the middle forwards. Right from the kick-off, I thought they rolled into the field too easy, and that’s not a good sign with the people that they have playing off the back of it.
“Look, I take responsibility as much as the players. We expected them (Wigan) to come out like that, but for whatever reason, we just weren’t ready for it.”
Hull will not return back to the MKM Stadium with York Knights the visitors on Friday night and it’s already been proven that there are no easy games in Super League.
Looking ahead, Cartwright said: “It’s still early in the season and sides are still feeling each other out. We can’t perform like that against anyone, or we’re going to end up on the same side of the scoreboard as tonight.
“It’s time to look in the mirror, I think, and bring our big boy pants next week.”
.@WiganWarriorsRL secure back-to-back wins 🍒⚪️#SuperLeague pic.twitter.com/X4OT3jN342
— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) February 21, 2026
