Hull FC injury update with possible 12-week lay-off confirmed as ‘desperate situation’ unfolds

Andy Last has admitted that Hull FC are in a ‘bit of a desperate situation’ with their forward pack seriously short on bodies at the moment following the latest injury blows.

Whilst the Black and Whites welcomed star man Herman Ese’ese back into their 21-man squad this week, it’s not clear if the prop is ready to go but what is clear is that the club have lost three props for a considerable amount of time.

Yusuf Aydin landed a six-match ban for his red card in the loss to Bradford Bulls, Ligi Sao has sustained nerve damage in his shoulder, and Brad Fash’s MCL injury has had a recovery timeline of eight to twelve weeks set out.

It makes Ese’ese’s return very timely but Last is also wary of rushing the star forward back in too soon, particularly given the fact that the Achilles injury that the 31-year-old is recovering from is his first major injury.

Speaking to BBC Radio Humberside in his pre-match presser, Last said: “We are in a bit of a desperate situation, but we’ve got to be mindful of the fact that he’s coming back from a significant injury and we need him to play a significant role when he does come back and put on that black and white shirt.

“It’s the first major, major injury that Herman has had in his career so he’s a little bit nervous and obviously a little bit anxious and wants to make sure that he feels physically ready to perform at the level that we know he’s capable of. We need to make sure that we get this decision right.”

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That would possibly suggest that Ese’ese may not feature against Leigh Leopards on Friday night, or play limited minutes, and that could mean plenty of youngsters in the pack given their other injuries among their forwards.

Speaking on Wednesday, Last confirmed of Brad Fash: “He’s having a scan this evening, chatting with the consultant. It’s a significant one, probably between eight to twelve weeks.

“It’s bad news for Brad and obviously it was a naughty challenge from Will Gardiner. He was obviously disappointed and apologised to Brad on numerous occasions. He suffers, obviously, the consequences of getting some points and a fine but we’ve lost a player for, obviously, eight to twelve weeks so it’s not great.”

Those pack problems are worsened by Ligi Sao’s shoulder injury, with Last admitting: “Ligi is probably the worst because it’s nerve damage. We had good news on his MRI scan that there’s nothing major there, but it’s just going to be symptom dictated now. He’s lost significant power in that left side so we’ve just got to allow time to be a bit of a healer.”

One positive from the injury update was that Lewis Martin’s ankle injury is only a 2-4 week issue, though it’s still another body that Hull FC have lost with Last highlighting: “It was a really tough game (against Bradford) for us, not only losing the two points but blowing out I think it was five members of your team when we were already backs to the wall.”

That backs against the wall mentality has been highlighted by several possible Super League debutants being named in the 21-man squad for the clash against Leigh.