Warrington Wolves have confirmed that young centre Zack Gardner will miss the rest of the season through injury.
Gardner made his first appearance of 2026 in the win over St Helens on Thursday night, but only lasted around eight minutes before needing to leave the field with a shoulder injury.
Scan results have now come back, and the 20-year-old is now set for a lengthy lay-off that will see him sidelined for the remainder of 2026.
Burgess originally thought that Gardner had been knocked out, which led to some frustration on his part when the match continued.
“He didn’t look right on the floor, so I was a bit upset that the game didn’t stop in the moment,” he said.
“He’s in a bit of pain. It’s sad for Zack as he’s shown a bit of promise, but he’s had a couple of niggles. He’s only going to get better from that over time.”
Gardner is the son of former St Helens winger and current Warrington staff member Ade Gardner, who was pitchside when the injury occurred.
Burgess has a number of concerns at the minute, especially in the centres with Toby King also absent with an ankle injury and Arron Lindop still a week or so away after recovering from an ACL injury.
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Sam Burgess has today confirmed Zack Gardner will miss the rest of the 2026 season after dislocating his shoulder against St Helens on Thursday.
With you every step of the way, Zack 💙 pic.twitter.com/rtHw8r4Ul2
— Warrington Wolves (@WarringtonRLFC) June 15, 2026
