Hull FC head coach Tony Smith has confirmed that up to eight players could miss the club’s Super League season opener against Castleford on Sunday.
Five players will definitely miss the fixture, including off-season signing Jack Trueman. The 23-year-old half-back continues to recover from an ACL injury sustained last July while playing for the Tigers.
Connor Wynne, Jamie Shaul, Charlie Severs and Kye Armstrong are all currently sidelined as they continue to recover from their respective injuries.
Meanwhile, boss Smith has confirmed that Ligi Sao, Andre Savelio and captain Carlos Tuimavave are “touch and go” for their first game.
Tuimavave, 31, ruptured his Achilles tendon last June against Catalans and has been sidelined ever since. Likewise, Savelio, 27, saw his season cut short in April through injury.
Providing the club’s latest injury update, Smith told Hull FC: “Ligi will be touch and go for the first game.
“It’s taken a while for that dead leg to bleed. The bruise is all coming out now. It was a significant one. Sometimes we think a dead leg isn’t that much and sometimes they’re not and you can run them off but this one is a bit more serious than that. It’s very tender – there’s certainly been an impact there.
“We’re hopeful that he will be fine for the first game. We’ll see how it goes. We’ll access it this week but he’s got a bit of time on his hands. He’s desperate to be ready.”
Smith continued: “Carlos and Andre are in the same boat in that regard. They’re both putting their hand up for Round One. We’ll assess them again before we make any decisions.
“We’ve trained with pretty much the same team that ran out at Wakefield. Whether there are any tweaks to that, we’ll decide later in the week. They are the most three likely options to play. Whether we change it or not we’ll see.”
Hull take on the Tigers at the MKM Stadium this Sunday with a 3:00pm kick-off.
Season predictions
Hull enter a new era under Smith in 2023 following several disappointing seasons that saw Brett Hodgson sacked at the conclusion of last year.
Speaking at the Super League launch in Manchester last week, skipper Tuimavave spoke of the new lease of life at the club under the new boss.
Hull last lifted silverware in 2017, defeating Wigan in the Challenge Cup final. They failed to make the play-offs in the previous two seasons, but look to turn that around under veteran Smith.
“I think Tony’s experience speaks for itself,” Tuimavave told Love Rugby League.
“What he’s done in the last four months has been amazing. You can just see the difference in the team already compared to the last two seasons. In saying that, we need to do our talking on the field and time will tell.
“Tony likes to play entertaining rugby. The boys are excited to showcase what we’ve been doing throughout the pre-season onto the pitch this year.
“Not just our attack, but our defence. We’re learning a new system and I’d like to think that it will come off quite impressive as well.”
Smith led Hull KR to the semi-finals in 2021 with a sixth-placed finish in the table. He’ll be looking to do the same on the west side of the city. With the team they have on paper, I’d predict a play-off finish for Hull FC this season.
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