Hull FC boss issues injury update after Zak Hardaker felt ‘crunch in his neck’ plus loan stance shared

Zak Hardaker is in ‘good spirits’ despite suffering a scary injury for Hull FC in their Friday night loss against Warrington Wolves.

The Black and Whites lost a fourth game in a row as they sacrificed a 4-0 halftime lead with two converted Josh Smith tries, seeing Warrington run out 12-4 winners in a scrappy game.

It was a match where if Hull FC had the smarts of Hardaker available for the full 80 minutes then perhaps they could have overcome a lacklustre Warrington, however, the centre was helped from the field just before the 40-minute mark.

Hardaker made an attempt to tackle but unfortunately saw his head made contact with the hip of teammate Joe Batchelor, resulting in Hardaker laying prone on the ground for an extended period.

Speaking to BBC Radio Humberside after the match, Andy Last offered an update, confirming: “He’s a little bit groggy in the changing rooms after the game.

“He felt a crunch in his neck so we were very very worried.

“He was there, laid on his back and obviously heard the crunch in his neck and he felt a little bit dizzy so he didn’t feel as though it was one of those that he could shake off.”

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Last would go on to confirm that Hardaker had failed his head injury assessment, something that will rule him out of next week’s home game against fellow strugglers Huddersfield Giants, however, the club will likely send the centre for tests to ensure there is nothing more serious.

“When Zak stays down, you know that it’s something serious so I was a little bit worried up in the stands,” Last explained.

“It was great to see him sit up and the medical team got him back on his feet and marched him back to the changing rooms.

“He failed his HIA so obviously wasn’t able to go back on but he’s talking and is in good spirits.

“I think everything around that neck joint has just gone into a little bit of spasm. His traps are a little bit tight, his back is a little bit sore, so we’ll have to look at the seriousness of that in due course.”

Whilst Hull FC will be without Hardaker next week, they hope to have Leeds Rhinos’ loanees Ethan O’Neill and Jeremiah Matautia available.

When asked about the possibility of a loan extension for the duo, Last admitted: “We’re looking to obviously keep Ethan and Jeremiah for another month. By all accounts, I think Leeds have a clean bill of health and got through the game against St Helens without anyone looking as though they’ve got any major injuries.

“That bodes well for us and our discussions with them in regards to keeping Ethan and Jeremiah for a little bit longer.”