Wakefield prop David Fifita has taken the decision to play through the pain barrier for the rest of the season to try and stave off Trinity’s fears of relegation.
Trinity are on the hunt for new recruits to bolster their chances of survival, having been dragged into what is now a five-way dogfight to avoid finishing bottom of Super League after the final six rounds of the season.
However, there is arguably more significant news on a player already at Wakefield. Fifita had been expected to undergo surgery on a long-standing foot fracture last week – but the decision has now been made for him to play on and put the surgery off until the season’s end.
“He’s decided to put it off,” Chris Chester told League Express.
“He’s in a bit of discomfort but it is one of those you can play on with. The frustrating part for us is that we had every X-ray and scan under the sun done, and it wasn’t until last week, when they tilted his foot for another X-ray, that you could see the fracture.
“That will need a screw or something like that inserting at the end of the season, but for now, he’s going to play on for us.”
Meanwhile, Chester has revealed how he believes the break for the Challenge Cup semi-finals has been a blessing for his group as they aim to refresh and refocus for the run-in.
“I think it was good for the players to just have a break from rugby,” he said.
“It’s been challenging.. the most challenging year I’ve had as a coach – certainly the last ten weeks at least. I’ll never accuse them of not having a dig; if anything, they’re trying too hard.
“We’ve got to try and stay in games, and because we’re working hard, when we do that, we’ll be okay. There’s absolutely no panic from anyone at this club. We’ve had some great conversations – from the playing group to boardroom level – over the last week to see what we can all do moving forward to get out of this situation.
“We just need to bring some competition into the squad in terms of players.”