Hull KR head coach Willie Peters has previewed Friday’s meeting with St Helens, offering a generally positive injury update as he revealed that the injury to Sauaso Sue is not as bad as was first feared.
Sue limped off just three minutes into last Thursday’s loss to Leeds Rhinos and initial concerns were that the prop forward had suffered an ACL injury, something that would end his season and rule him out for the early stages of the 2026 season.
Speaking to the media ahead of Friday’s game, Willie Peters confirmed the ‘good news’ as he shared an update on the 33-year-old prop.
Peters explained: “We’ve got some good news with Sauaso, so it’s two to four weeks. That’s what we’re hoping at this stage.
“There was fear that it was going to be an ACL, but it wasn’t. So, we’ll just get him right now and hopefully, as I say, it’s a two to four week lay-off.”
With Hull KR looking to go deep into the Super League play-offs, it’s a major boost to know that Sue should be available for those knockout games, with a regular season return still feasible.
Hull KR potentially without three props for St Helens clash
Peters agreed, labelling it as a “huge boost” as he spoke about what it means to have Sue available for the business end of the season, but also how significant it was avoid a major injury that would have sidelined him for the start of 2026.
The Hull KR boss said: “It’s a huge boost. There’s no doubt about that. I’m close with Jesse. I’ve brought him over. We’ve come over together and his family’s heavily invested into the journey that they’re on and we’re on and they’re really close to us and the Hull KR family.
“It would have been really disheartening to see Jesse end his season and then potentially (have to start) the next season like that, because he adds a lot around training and as a person. He’s also been one of our best all season, certainly one of our most consistent, that’s for sure.”
Peters has called on others to seize the opportunity over the upcoming weeks, stating that selection would be based around ‘choices’ such as “effort and competing”.
As well as Sue’s boots to fill, Hull KR still have Jared Waerea-Hargreaves suspended for this one whilst Jai Whitbread has been labelled as “touch-and-go” by Willie Peters.
The Australian was another to limp off against Leeds but Peters confirmed: “There’s nothing serious there, so we’ve just got to monitor him. He’s got to get through some testing, so he’s touch-and-go for this week.
“It’s just going to be working out whether Jai can play or whether we give him a rest for this week.”
Should Whitbread not play then the likes of Sam Luckley, Eribe Doro and Jack Brown can all expect to play big minutes, whilst Dean Hadley will likely shift from second-row to prop to accommodate the loss of three front-rowers.
Full steam ahead for Friday 🚂👊#UpTheRobins🔴⚪️ pic.twitter.com/t7kuPsuwIE
— Hull KR (@hullkrofficial) August 26, 2025
