Frankie Halton will miss Hull KR’s pre-season friendlies and likely the start of the season after suffering an injury in training.
The forward, who joined the club from Featherstone Rovers in the off-season, has torn a pectoral muscle in the gym which will likely rule him for around a month.
Halton will miss the Robins’ two friendlies, against Dewsbury Rams this Friday and Huddersfield Giants the following weekend, and is a major doubt for the Super League opener against Wigan Warriors.
“He was lifting weights and just felt a little strain,” said Rovers head coach Tony Smith. “He’s got about a 2cm tear in his pec.
“If you ask Frankie maybe (he’ll make) round one. If you ask my physio, it’ll be pushing it.
“I’m hoping Frankie’s right, I usually listen to my physio but occasionally a player gets it right too.”
It is a blow for Halton having been one of the best performers in pre-season, according to Smith.
“He’s strong, our players struggle to put him to ground,” he said. “When he carries the ball he’s a difficult person to tackle.
“The other thing that has impressed me is his ability to learn. He came to us raw. He’s looked like somebody who has been at Championship level and not full-time.
“I knew his previous coach James Webster very well. James kept saying to me, in a full-time environment he will excel, being able to practice on a daily basis.
“Frankie has just revelled in it, he’s been fantastic. I’ve seen the improvement in him the way he’s taken things on, his knowledge, he’s been very impressive.”
However, the Hull KR boss reassured that it would not be too big a setback for his chances of claiming a regular first-team place, and that he would still get his chance to impress when he returned.
“Nowadays we do have reserve grade opportunities and I’m sure if we had to find him a game somewhere we could, with dual-registration (at Dewsbury) etc.,” said Smith.
“Frankie will get his opportunity, he’ll play a lot of Rugby League this year and a lot for us.
“It was a bit gutting because he wants to put his best foot forward and impress people here but he’s just going to have to delay that slightly.”