Hull FC are looking into the possibility of adding to their squad following the loss of Will Pryce, John Cartwright has confirmed.
The Black and Whites saw Pryce ruled out for the remainder of the season earlier this week after rupturing his ACL in the loss to Wigan Warriors. It’s a huge blow for the Hull and for Cartwright, who will be without their marquee man until 2027.
However, given the timing of the injury, FC are eligible for salary cap dispensation, allowing them to bring in a new man should they see fit to fill Pryce’s spot in the squad.
And, Cartwright has confirmed that Hull are in discussions as a club about their options as the injuries pile up.
“We’ve discussed it,” Cartwright said after FC’s loss to York Knights. “We’re not going to rush into anything. There’ll be more discussions around that this week, we just have to make sure of the salary cap of the situation and how much there is to spend.
“Our quota spots are full but we won’t rush. Recruiting is an ongoing thing, it changes every week and it changed for us last week.
“Injuries are part of the game, we’re never going to get rid of them, you can try and minimise them but ACLs are something… you saw Bailey Hodgson last night, no one was near him and down he went, no one can explain it when things like that happen.”
Of course, the assumption would be that Hull enter the market in the hope of replacing Pryce with a like for like full-back. But number ones are in short supply at present and options are few and far between and with injuries beginning to pile up, Hull FC could look to bolster other areas of the squad.
“We’re in round three and squads are settled, there’s not a hell of a lot out there,” Cartwright added. “We just have to assess our injuries and we have a few options there. Logan [Moy] is back this week and he’s playing reserve grade tomorrow and Zak can play full-back.
“I thought Davy did a really good job tonight but came up with a couple of errors, we have a lot to weigh up and see where we go.”
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