Super League clubs were in Challenge Cup action this week and unfortunately, the early-season wave of injuries has continued with numerous clubs, including St Helens and Leigh Leopards, who saw multiple players go down.
The vast majority of Super League clubs already have lengthy injury lists but both Leigh and Saints were among the most injury-affected before the fourth round of the Challenge Cup, and yet they’ve suffered more blows.
A positive for each side is that they have progressed to the quarter-finals, with the draw details now confirmed, however both Adrian Lam and Paul Rowley may well be paying more attention to their medical reports.
Leigh went into their game with just a 19-man squad and lost two more to ‘long-term’ blows, per Lam, with Keanan Brand leaving the field inside two minutes due to a leg injury, whilst Andy Badrock followed with a reported shoulder injury.
As for St Helens, they lost both hookers Daryl Clark and Jake Burns to HIAs whilst forward Curtis Sironen suffered a calf injury, with Rowley stating: “He’s no good… a good calf is four (weeks), a bad calf is eight (weeks), so we’ll see.”
Positive news out of St Helens was that despite Jackson Hastings leaving the field with an apparent shoulder issue, Rowley confirmed it to be a precautionary move.
Super League injury news review
Wakefield Trinity v Leeds Rhinos
Trinity seemed to come through unscathed and with a win meaning Daryl Powell’s side had a near-perfect night, bar the floodlight failure. They also saw Tom Johnstone make an instant impact on his return from injury.
For Leeds, they were without Brodie Croft due to a hamstring issue and their replacement half George Brown then suffered a knee injury meaning there will be concern over who partners Jake Connor this week.
Wigan Warriors v Bradford Bulls
Wigan went into Friday night’s game without Jai Field and Bevan French but full-back Noah Hodkinson fared well in their absence. Kaide Ellis was removed early due to illness but Matt Peet’s side came through well otherwise.
The same can’t be said for Bradford who lost Brandon Douglas to a HIA whilst Eribe Doro had to be helped from the field with an ankle injury, with Haggerty confirming post-match that it had ‘ballooned up already’.
York Knights v Keighley Cougars
The Knights won easily but it came at a cost as captain and playmaker Liam Harris suffered a hamstring injury, whilst centre Sam Wood was taken to hospital after an eye poke. Mark Applegarth did allay any concerns over Paul McShane, who had left the field with a physio but it was explained that the hooker was fine.
Goole Vikings v Warrington Wolves
Wire rested plenty of big names as their young guns shone, including Ewan Irwin who kicked a perfect 13 from 13 off the tee. Whilst the result was something for Sam Burgess to be happy about, injuries to Toafofoa Sipley (calf) and Jordy Crowther (ankle) will be concerning.
Burgess confirmed that Sipley had still been carrying a knee niggle from before but that the NRL signing will have scans on Monday to ascertain the damage to his calf.
Huddersfield Giants v Hull KR
The Giants are probably the only team in Super League more impacted by injury than Leigh or St Helens and that showed as Luke Robinson handed out three debuts but thankfully, his side appeared to come through fine.
Hull KR also came through without concern though the likes of Mikey Lewis and Dean Hadley were brought off late on for preservation. James Batchelor didn’t feature due to what Willie Peters described as a ‘minor hip’ issue, with Tom Whitehead afforded an opportunity instead.
Hull FC v Leigh Leopards
As previously mentioned, Leigh added both Brand and Badrock to their lengthy casualty list. For Hull FC, they didn’t add any more names with John Cartwright able to clear concerns over John Asiata. The loose forward was said to be a ‘bit wounded’, adding that he didn’t think there was ‘anything major’.
Castleford Tigers v St Helens
Saints lost two to HIAs in Burns and Clark but Castleford also lost star centre Krystian Mapapalangi after a high shot from Kyle Feldt, for which the St Helens winger was sin binned. Jason Qareqare didn’t return after his HIA check but did pass.
Catalans Dragons v Oldham RLFC
Joel Tomkins spoke post-match and explained that a number of players could be returning for their clash with Hull KR with the French side seeming to come through fine against Oldham. Star half Lewis Dodd didn’t feature after being named in the 21-man squad but it’s unclear if that was injury-related.
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