Catalans Dragons boss Joel Tomkins has confirmed that one of his new overseas recruits has suffered an injury blow just one week out from the Super League season.
Winger Manase Kaho has been sent for scans to see the extent of an injury he picked up in the club’s one and only pre-season friendly against Toulouse Olympique.
The Dragons were comfortable winners on the evening, but it came at a cost in that they lost their new number five.
Explaining the news earlier this week, Tomkins told Serious About Rugby League that Kaho will definitely miss the opening rounds of the competition.
“Kaho got injured in the friendly, Manase Kaho, which is disappointing.
“We’re not sure the extent of it yet, he’s got a scan today [Wednesday], but he’ll definitely miss a few weeks, I would imagine.”
The winger’s injury is one of two big concerns currently at the club, after Catalans confirmed that the newly-named number 11, Franck Maria, would be out for the next three months with a herniated disc.
Tomkins revealed how big of a loss Maria’s absence will be to the team.
“It’s a big blow, Franck has done really well this pre-season,” he said.
“We gave him the number 11 jersey and that’s probably gave a big indication where we thought he was going to play this year.
“It’s disappointing for us, but that’s the sport. Injuries happen, he’s got a 12-14 week recovery period and then he’ll be back out there with us.”
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Catalans Dragons boss highlights NRL recruit as one to watch after decision made on 2026 position
The Dragons have brought in a hefty number of recruits, and are up there at the top of the list of clubs that have had the biggest turnover of players this off-season.
One man who has come in and impressed coach Tomkins is Charlie Staines, who joins the club from the NRL.
The 25-year-old has made 77 appearances in his first-grade career down under, and the boss believes he can become one of the competition’s best full-backs, after praising some of his attributes.
Asked which recruits have stood out this off-season, Tomkins said:Â “The boring answer is all of them. They’ve all done really well, but Charlie Staines has really impressed me.
“He’s got that speed that top players in the competition have, and I’m looking forward to see what he can do as a full-back for us.”
There were initial questions as to where Staines would feature in this Dragons side, with the former Wests Tigers man also playing centre for much of his NRL career.
However, Tomkins has clarified that his overseas arrival will be the club’s new first-choice number one.
“He’s played a lot of his [reserve] grade rugby as a full-back and a bit on the centre and a bit on the wings, but I think, for Super League, he will really suit playing full-back along with the other spine players that we’ve got.
“I think he can make a real big impact this year.”
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