Adrian Lam and Leigh Leopards can see light at the end of the tunnel regarding the injury crisis they have been forced to contend with at the start of the campaign.
The Leopards‘ injury issues started before the start of the Super League season with Umyla Hanley picking up a shoulder injury in a pre-season clash with Warrington Wolves at the Halliwell Jones Stadium. That issue seems to have set the tone for a difficult few weeks for Leigh, with key men dropping like flies over the opening rounds.
The likes of Edwin Ipape, Joe Ofahengaue, Bailey Hodgson and Keanan Brand have joined Hanley in the Leopards’ treatment room and with numbers extremely low, Lam has been forced to name reduced squads over the last few weeks.
However, almost all of the names are closing in on a return to action, including long-term absentee David Armstrong, with full-back Hodgson being the only one expected back a little later
Ofahengaue is the only one with a slim chance of returning to action for this week’s game against Toulouse Olympique, though, with Leigh still expected to be incredibly short of options once more. And, while Robbie Mulhern will play after overcoming a forearm issue, it remains to be seen if Owen Trout will be passed fit.
“There’s some doubt over Owen Trout just with a rolled ankle,” Lam said in his pre-match press briefing this afternoon. “[Aaron] Pene is into the mix now and Ofahengaue has a small chance but he’s highly unlikely.
“I’m sure most of them will be back over the next three weeks so I’m looking forward to that but this week is literally hang in there for one more game before one or two come back into the mix. It’s not ideal that Owen is playing he’s 50/50, but if he does play there is going to be some risk there.
“He sort of got some collateral damage, someone was in a tackle and swung around and hit him on the ankle and he rolled over. I don’t know if you can remember in the game, he went down for about a minute. There’s a whole heap of fluid in there that’s subsiding quite substantially and we still have another three days before we play. That’s why we feel he’ll be OK by the time the game comes around.”
Asked about those who are on the verge of fitness, the Leigh Leopards boss added: “In the next couple of weeks almost there is Umyla Hanley, he’s two or three weeks, Davy Armstrong, two or three weeks, Joffa, one or two weeks, and the list goes on… Keanan Brand is two to three weeks. They’re all there.
“I think it’s only Bailey Hodgson that’s around round nine or 10, I believe.”
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