York Knights have been dealt a major boost with veteran hooker Paul McShane avoiding any serious injury in defeat to Wigan Warriors.
McShane suffered a problem with his hand during that game and had to exit the game around the 50-minute mark and didn’t return.
The former Leeds and Castleford man has been incredibly influential to the side, as he returns to Super League with the Knights after a season-long absence.
McShane will be back in the fold this week as the club host Wakefield Trinity on Friday evening.
Thankfully, it was just some pretty nasty bruising,” York boss Mark Applegarth confirmed to the press today [Tuesday].
“It has settled right down. It swelled up pretty bad in the game. He was struggling to grip a ball, but he’ll be in contention.
“He’s trained fully today, so there’s no issues there.”
Commenting on what McShane brings to the side, the coach added: “He’s a former man of steel. He’s been right at the pinnacle of the game, hasn’t he?
“He’s a massive player for us, it goes without saying. It’s not only what he does ability-wise, I think that’s there for everyone to see, but he’s a bit of glue for us in that middle.
“He’s very good at directing us with structure through that middle first and bringing people together. That’s integral to what we do, so relieved that he’s not a serious one. I’m really glad that he gets to go again on Friday.”
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York Knights boss heaps praise on Hull FC loanee
With McShane off the field, it meant that young hooker Denive Balmforth had to play extended minutes, something that Applegarth was left impressed by.
Balmforth is currently thriving at the club, on loan from Hull FC, and the boss is expecting a brilliant battle between two of the best up-and-coming nines in the competition this week.
He said: “Denive is one of the best in playing that impact ’14’ role – coming off the bench and bringing some energy. I think Wakefield’s got another one that’s really good in that [role] in Harvey Smith.
“I wouldn’t be surprised to see him back in the squad for Friday night. That’ll be a good match-up.
“Denive, I can’t speak highly enough of him. He played through the pain barrier for that first three weeks, so we probably didn’t see the best of him. He was playing with an ankle injury. Now he’s getting over that and he’s starting to find his feet again.”
