England international Herbie Farnworth could be a doubt for this year’s rugby league Ashes and the NRL play-offs after suffering what looks like a torn hamstring in his side’s clash with New Zealand Warriors.
The centre has been one of the standout players in the NRL once again and having been named to the NRL team of the year for the past two years, he was set for an unprecedented third straight selection.
His Dolphins sat eighth in the NRL ahead of the game against the Warriors and a big part of their success has been Farnworth’s strike on the left edge, scoring 11 tries and creating another 9.
He sits second in the NRL for tackle breaks and sixth for post-contact metres with just about every stat line further highlighting what an incredible talent he is.
As such, he is seen as one of the very few players who will be a dead cert for Shaun Wane’s team in the Ashes when England play Australia, however, that will now be in doubt.
Herbie Farnworth has been helped from the field by team medics after suffering what appears to be a torn hamstring with no players around the Englishman when he went down.
Herbie Farnworth suffers suspected torn hamstring
Having scored the Dolphins’ opener, the scores were tied at 6-6 but Kristian Woolf’s side were camped on their own line due to some heavy defensive pressure from the Warriors.
It was Herbie Farnworth who got the Phins out of trouble as he evaded two tacklers and broke free with the England international carrying from his ten to the opposition forty and looking prime to utilise a two versus one and set up Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow for the Dolphins’ second try of the game, however, he pulled up untouched with what looked like a torn hamstring.
Commentary recalled the moment, stating: “Farnworth has done a hammy, this is potentially devastating for not just this game but the Dolphins’ season. He’s gone. The old sniper got him in fresh air.
“He was in about fourth gear and then boom, it just goes as quickly as that.”
Co-comms would then add: “This is devastating for the Dolphins. Exactly what Farnworth has done there is what he’s done all season for the Dolphins, nothing on with the set going nowhere but a bit of an individual brilliance and class and incredible athleticism.
“This close to the finals, this is a huge blow for them… That is a massive one, it puts their season in real jeopardy.”
Obviosuly it will depend on the severity of the injury but it had all the characteristics of a torn hamstring and recovery for that can range from weeks to months, putting both the NRL play-offs and the end-of-season Ashes at risk for the Englishman if the injury is on the more severe side.
Herbie fights his way over! 😤 pic.twitter.com/DATTj9Vq9d
— NRL (@NRL) August 1, 2025
