SIX days to go . . . and the emphasis is on reducing a sizeable casualty list ahead of Sunday’s clash with West Wales Raiders at the Vestacare Stadium.
Players who picked up bumps and bruises, or worse, in the 22-22 draw at Hunslet will touch base with the club’s medical team today to provide them with updates, ahead of Tuesday’s training and get-together.
These will include Dave Hewitt (hip), Calvin Wellington, who went to hospital feeling unwell only 20 minutes into the Hunslet game and new-boy Jack Arnold, who came off the bench and picked up a leg injury.
As well as these three the casualty list also includes long-term victims such as Jason Maranku, who is working his way through the RFL’s concussion protocols; young Sean Slater, who has a medial knee ligament injury; and winger Tommy Brierley, who broke his left leg in the Keighley Cougars game.
Slater was hurt in the win at Keighley in the friendly, while Maranku took a knock to the head in the first friendly against Wakefield, but suffered delayed reaction some time later.
Brierley was at Hunslet yesterday, on crutches, but otherwise looking as fit as a fiddle !
He lives in Pontefract and he is booked in to see specialists at the fracture clinic at Pinderfield Hospital in Wakefield on Thursday.
He said:
“I may have damaged my left knee as well because it is still badly swollen, but I’ll know a lot more on Thursday.
“It’s obviously going to be a long job, but I’m hoping to be back this season.”
Of the players who were injured at Hunslet, head coach Stuart Littler said;
“We’ll see how they are at Tuesday training when they’ve had a couple of days for their injuries to settle down.”
With four forwards on the bench at the South Leeds Stadium, Callum Cameron left the pack to replace Wellington in the centre and Brad Jinks went in at half-back for Hewitt.
As the only Welshman in the Roughyeds’ squad, Wellington will be anxious to play against his fellow-countrymen this weekend, but it will all hinge on his fitness.
Jordan Andrade, the big forward who was the side’s best player in the last home game, didn’t play at Hunslet because he got married on Saturday.
Martyn Ridyard’s goalkicking performance of three from four (two off the touchline despite a fierce wind), included the 1,000th of his career, while full-back Owen Restall continued his try-scoring consistency with a try in the corner after good work by Ryan Wright and Ridyard in their use of the short side from a play-the-ball near the home line.
Attention now turns to the West Wales game – and another atmospheric afternoon at the Vestacare Stadium where you are so close to the action in whatever area of the ground you choose to occupy.
