Hull KR could be without England hooker Jez Litten for Friday’s Super League clash against Leigh Leopards with the number nine carrying an ankle knock.
Litten stayed down at one point in the first half against York Knights though he played on, however, Willie Peters has now confirmed that the hooker is the one injury concern that his side have ahead of Friday’s big game against the in-form Leopards.
Speaking to media in his pre-match presser, Peters confirmed: “Jez Litten’s got a bit of an ankle issue. He rolled it last week. So, he’s been sent for scans.
“There’s nothing major there. We’ve just got to see whether that settles down this week.”
Whilst nothing major means that Litten isn’t set to be a long-term issue, the injury could be severe enough that he misses out on Friday night as Peters admitted that it will be a ‘late call‘’ as to whether the hooker plays.
“We’re not sure yet,” Peters admitted in regard Litten’s availability, adding: “He didn’t train today, but we’ve got a day off tomorrow and we’ve still got captain’s run.”
Sir Kevin Sinfield, play-off race heats up and who can stop Wigan Warriors? – Click here to watch the latest episode of the Serious About Rugby League Show.
Hull KR boss considers centre options and shares Arthur Mourgue update
Whilst Litten is a concern, one man will miss out and that’s Oliver Gildart after he failed a head injury assessment in the win over York and that means Hull KR will have to name a replacement at centre.
On his options, Peters said: “We’ve got James Batchelor’s played there before, Rhyse Martin’s played there before, Noah Booth’s played there before and there’s a couple of the younger guys.
“I think we’ll go with someone that has had a bit more experience against Leigh.”
Having pointed to the fact he may go down the experienced route, it could rule out Noah Booth but Willie Peters was full of praise for the young outside back.
The Australian said: “Noah can play centre, he can play wing and we give him feedback on what we think he needs to do, what he’s doing well.
“Come watch the reserves on the weekend. He’s a very, very good attacking centre and he’s going to be a very good player in the future.
“We’ve drip-fed him in and it’s just that there are some areas that we think he needs to work on. It just depends whether we go that way this week or not but he’s certainly knocking on the door.”
If the Robins were at full strength then they’d likely have Arthur Mourgue at full-back with Jack Broadbent an obvious replacement at centre, but the Frenchman is still out with his pec issue.
Offering an update on Mourgue’s recovery, Peters said: “He doing some passing today so he’s getting more movement there but we’re not putting a timeline on it at this stage. He’s progressing well.”
Warrington Wolves
Super League switch looms as Warrington Wolves half-back exits club
