Despite several players returning in recent weeks, Bradford Bulls have been handed an injury blow with Jayden Okunbor potentially out for the remainder of the season.
Head coach Kurt Haggerty has put a three-month timeline on the back’s recovery, taking us into September and near the final few rounds of the season, at which point the Bulls could well focus on preserving the 29-year-old for 2027.
Haggerty had confirmed that Okunbor would see a specialist and he revealed the results at his presser on Wednesday, confirming: “We’re probably looking around three months for Jayden. It’s another injury for us, and it’s not great for Jayden, but we’re there to support him and help him and hopefully get him back as quickly as we can.”
It’s a bulging disc in the back for Okunbor, something that Haggerty confirmed was a longstanding issue: “I think it’s an ongoing injury. Obviously, when you’ve been in a part-time environment, you can’t get the best treatment that you can.
“I think it’s just flared up, got worse and worse, back into a full-time environment, training at probably a little bit higher intensity and obviously a lot more difficult games. I think it’s just caught up with him a little bit.”
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Bradford Bulls boss on managing minutes and Jayden Nikorima concern
In regards who best to replace Okunbor, the Bradford head coach identified Connor Wynne, Guy Armitage and even Luke Hooley as options for the Bulls’ home game against Leigh on Sunday.
One man who remains a doubt for the game is playmaker Jayden Nikorima, who suffered what Haggerty described as a stinger on his shoulder in the win over York.
“He’s still 50-50 at the moment, he’s not trained today, but I’m hoping he’s OK for Sunday, he’s telling me he’s OK, so fingers crossed.”
Chris Atkin and Riley Dean will be options to play in the halves if Nikorima does not but Joe Keyes could soon become an option again, with Haggerty announcing that the playmaker is back in training.
He announced: “He’s had his surgery, and he did his first weights session this week, so he’s been really positive around the place. It was great to see Joe with a smile on his face, and it was great to see him get through his first weights session.”
With injuries having been such a concern throughout the season and Okunbor now potentially done for the year, Haggerty was asked about the prospect of minute management for some of the more senior players, with the likes of Joe Mellor and Ryan Sutton both instrumental so far but also fresh off injuries.
Haggerty admitted: “It’s interesting, because if it was up to me, I wouldn’t be playing them as long as they probably are but they’re two experienced players, they tell me what they can and can’t play.
“For example, today we’ve looked after them both in training, but that’s reluctantly from them. So we’re trying to look after them constantly, but they’re elite professionals, they know what it looks like, they’ve played a lot of top-level games, so they dictate to me before I dictate to them.”
