One Super League club have issued an injury update on the eve of the season, confirming that a key forward will miss around three months.
Catalans Dragons have had just one pre-season game, recently taking on French rivals Toulouse Olympique, a game that Joel Tomkins’ side won 36-18.
Les Dracs handed out plenty of debuts in that game with three of their back five comprised of NRL recruits, as well as halves Toby Sexton and Lewis Dodd.
It was a similar story in the forward pack as new loanee Kruise Leeming started at hooker with the likes of Iszac Fa’asuamaleaui, Zac Lipowicz and Ben Condon all starting, with several other recruits on the bench.
One man who did not feature in either the starting XIII or the 12-man bench was Franck Maria and the club have now confirmed that the forward has recently undergone surgery and is set for a lengthy spell on the sideline.
Catalans Dragons forward to miss first three months of Super League
Maria, 28, made his Super League debut for Catalans in 2024 but only made a handful of appearances. He was more prominent in 2025 as he featured in every game from round 12 to round 25 with that final appearance seeing him sent off for a sickening shot on Emmanuel Waine that left the Papua New Guinean in the hospital.
Having served that ban, Maria was expected to be in the mix to start the season but the club have now confirmed that he’s undergone surgery for a herniated disc.
As such, he’s set to be sidelined for three months which means Maria could well miss the Challenge Cup Final if Catalans make it that far, with that game being just over three months away.
They will start their campaign this weekend when they travel to take on Batley Bulldogs.
A club statement on Maria’s injury read: “Franck Maria has successfully undergone surgery for a herniated disc.
“The French prop is expected to be sidelined for a period of three months.”
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