Hull KR head coach Willie Peters has shared an injury update with plans revealed on replacement options and rotation plans.
The Robins have been luckier than most Super League clubs in regards injuries this year with long-term blow Arthur Mourgue their only major concern so far, and even so the Frenchman is expected back in the coming weeks.
After defeating Toulouse Olympique last weekend, Peters confirmed an ankle injury to Oliver Gildart and sharing an update today (Thursday), the Hull KR coach has confirmed the centre has avoided any long-term injury.
“It’s nothing major. We’ll have to play it by ear and see how he goes this next week,” the Australian explained.
“We’re not exactly sure how long he’ll be out for, but at this stage it’ll only be a short amount of time.”
As for who could replace Gildart, Peters pointed to Rhyse Martin as the man who covered the position in Toulouse, whilst both of James Batchelor and Noah Booth were named.
Another who was revealed to be an option was Karl Lawton, who missed out last week due to an ankle knock, with Peters explaining that the NRL signing will be available for selection with the team to be finalised in the coming days ahead of Saturday’s clash away to Bradford Bulls.
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Hull KR coach explains rotation policy as debutant hailed
Lawton was one of several forwards to miss out last week with Sam Luckley and Jack Brown both left out as Bill Leyland and Jordan Dezaria earned starts, the latter of those making his Hull KR debut.
Asked about those decisions by Serious About Rugby League, Peters pointed to a desire to keep his squad as fresh as possible, whilst underlining the need to maintain a level of competition for places.
Peters explained: “It’s a long season. We gave the players a few days away, that’s a way that we want to freshen them up. We also want to freshen them up by rotating as well.
“I’ve said a few times that we’ve had a schedule this year and designed a schedule to hopefully not miss any weeks of games. We need to make sure that we plan around that accordingly and that’s keeping guys fresh but also it’s competition for spots.”
Pointing to debutant Dezaria, Peters explained that the former Catalans man had suffered a ‘bit of a troubled pre-season’ in regards hamstring injuries, however, he acquitted himself very well against Toulouse.
Peters explained: “He obviously played at St Helens, played another reserve game and we gave him his opportunity last week. I thought he grabbed it with both hands.
“It puts us in a good position, but obviously difficult because you don’t like leaving players out. There’s certainly players this week that won’t be in the 17 that could easily be in our 17. Again, it’s a good position to be in. We want to make sure there’s competition for spots.”
That’s a luxury that Saturday’s opponents Bradford do not have with Kurt Haggerty only naming an initial 19-man squad that features no specialist half-backs.
