Super League Injuries: Concerns for England star left in protective boot

After the hiatus for the Challenge Cup Final, there was a return to Super League and after the culmination of Round Fourteen, it means that we’re officially past the halfway stage of the competition. However, a number of teams will be heading into the second half of the season with injury issues.

Injury issues will be of extra attention currently as well for English and French players with the two sides set to play each other in an international at the end of the month to celebrate 90 years of the sport in France.

Super League action for Round Fourteen kicked off with a triple header on Friday night with the featured game seeing Challenge Cup runners-up Warrington Wolves suffer a “tiny hangover” from Wembley as they were defeated by a Marc Sneyd-inspired Salford Red Devils.

Sneyd scored 13 of Salford’s points as they won 25-14 and that’s led to calls from pundit Barrie McDermott that the Salford man has to be in contention to play for England at the end of the month.

Meanwhile, Challenge Cup winners Wigan fared better as they overcame a hangover to win 10-8 against Castleford Tigers in a tight affair. The remaining fixture saw Hull KR pile the points on against Huddersfield Giants, winning 32-6 on a record-breaking night for Ryan Hall.

Hall bagged two tries to become Super League’s leading try-scorer of all time but it was a game that Ian Watson felt got away from his side as he claimed the score wasn’t reflective of the match, attributing that to the red card for debutant Andre Savelio.

Onto Saturday and Hull FC snapped their losing streak with an 18-10 win over Leeds Rhinos leading to calls from fans that it was a “gutless” performance, whilst Leigh Leopards then showed their playoff credentials with a 10-2 win on the road against Catalans.

The final game of the round saw St Helens travel to The Stoop and hand out a 52-6 beating to London Broncos with Daryl Clark bagging a second-half hattrick to help blitz the bottom side of Super League.

Despite that, Saints have come out of the game with a number of injuries and they’re one of two teams that could be badly hampered.

QUIZ: Can you name every Harry Sunderland Award winner in Super League history?

Super League Injuries: Saints dealt major blow

The biggest winner of the weekend on the scoreboard were the biggest losers on the injury front with St Helens losing winger Tommy Makinson on his first carry of the game. Sky Sports‘ Stuart Pyke reported that Makinson was seen in a protective boot as he dealt with a foot injury.

He wasn’t the only man to leave the field for Saints with Ben Davies taken for a Head Injury Assessment, from which he didn’t return, but it was unconfirmed as to whether that was a tactical or due to a failed HIA. Curtis Sironen was also seen holding his groin and hamstring areas.

Another second-rower in Super League was hit with a hamstring injury on Friday night and that was Hull KR’s James Batchelor who will Peters revealed was withdrawn due to a niggling hamstring, before explaining that he’s doubtful of his participation on Thursday night against Castleford.

Peters said: “At the moment we’re hoping it’s just tightness and a minor strain but I don’t think he’ll be okay for next week.”

If Batchelor’s injury leads to him missing game time then he could miss out on a first-ever England cap with his form sure to have caught the eye of Shaun Wane ahead of the international against France later this month.

Super League’s Round Fourteen Injury List

– James Batchelor (Hull KR – Hamstring)
– Tommy Makinson (St Helens – Left Ankle/Foot – in a protective boot)
– Konrad Hurrell (St Helens –
– Ben Davies (St Helens – HIA)
– Curtis Sironen (St Helens – Groin/Hamstring)