Huddersfield Giants head coach Ian Watson is confident that Chris McQueen will be fit for the Challenge Cup final.
The back-row came off at half-time of last weekend’s semi-final against Hull KR with an abductor injury.
He won’t be available for Thursday’s final dress rehearsal in Super League with Wigan Warriors, nor against Toulouse Olympique the following week.
But McQueen is working towards making a comeback for the big day at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in just over a fortnight.
“We’re working towards the Challenge Cup final for Chris,” said Watson. “Our fingers are crossed. Everybody who has seen him thinks that he should be able to make it.
“It’ll just depend on what his pain threshold is like and how he reacts to the treatment going forward.
“They said we could have pushed him for the Toulouse game, but with somebody like Chris who has played in (NRL) Grand Finals in State of Origin games, the extra week will do him more good than harm.
“He’s a big, big player, and it’s not only what he brings on the field but how he’s developed in the last twelve months into a real, genuine leader among the group, and somebody all the players respect massively.”
Watson also revealed that McQueen’s hopes of appearing in the final would have been over if he did not come off the field when he did.
“If he’d have carried on and played the second half, he’d have had no chance of being fit in a couple of weeks,” said the Giants boss. “Chris did the right thing by coming off.”
Huddersfield are resting a number of big stars for Wigan’s visit this week, with Jermaine McGillvary, Chris Hill, Josh Jones and Sebastine Ikahihifo not selected in the squad.
Watson also revealed that both Luke Yates and Leroy Cudjoe, although named among their 21, will not feature either.
