Hull FC have been handed good and bad injury news heading into this week’s Super League clash with Salford Red Devils. The Black and Whites are hopeful of welcoming back Will Pryce and John Asiata from hamstring issues this week after lengthy lay-offs for the pair.
Asiata and Pryce have been missing since May with the injuries, ensuring they have missed more than two months of action. Both injuries have progressed well, though, and the pair could be set to play this weekend against Salford at the MKM Stadium.
Unfortunately, it will be a case of two in, two out for the Black and Whites with Jordan Rapana and Liam Knight being ruled out. Rapana suffered a head knock a fortnight ago against Huddersfield Giants and will see a specialist before being given the green light to return.
Knight, on the other hand, has been ruled out for the remainder of the season in what comes as a huge blow for the Black and Whites. The middle, who has played big minutes in recent weeks, has picked up a stress fracture in his ankle and will now likely have to wait until next season to play again.
“We’ve had some bad news with Liam,” John Cartwright confirmed in his pre-match press conference. “He’s got a stress fracture in his ankle. He’ll be going in for some surgery. We’ll be lucky to see him again this year.
“It’s just a stress fracture.”
Hull FC boss on Will Pryce and John Asiata
On Pryce and Asiata, the head coach added: “I still won’t make a call on them till we get through the captain’s run but they’ve been training and they’ve got through so far. We’ll make calls on Johnny and Prycey after captain’s run.
“We’re really hopeful. They’ve ticked their boxes. Their timing is where they originally said it would be. We haven’t taken any shortcuts with them. If they’re able to play it’ll be because we’re confident they’ll get through.
“You get to the point of year where sometimes you have to take risks. We’re at the pointy end and we have a reasonably tough run coming in, any time we can go out there, get some confidence and field our best side, we have to take it. We certainly won’t take any undue risks.
“They’ve been a massive hole in our side. We’ve bounced around, won a few, lost a few, but at the end of the day they’re responsible for a lot of our attack, they really help the half-back out. It’s exciting to get them back.”
Ed Chamberlain will return to the fold this week after missing the last two games with a head knock. Cartwright also gave updates on Brad Fash and Jordan Lane, who are pushing to make returns within the next few weeks.
Lane has been out since April with a fractured arm, but he is now just a couple of weeks away, while Fash will be expected to return around this time next month.
“We’ve had some good news about Jordan,” Cartwright added on loan. “He’s back doing all the running and he’s started doing a bit of contact. We’re hopeful to have him back as early as within the next two weeks.”
