HULL FC will be without John Asiata for a “prolonged period” due to the hamstring tear he suffered in the Good Friday derby defeat.
And Arthur Romano has been confirmed to have suffered a syndesmosis injury against Hull KR and will require surgery, also ruling him out for several months.
They are cruel blows to both players, with loose-forward Asiata having also had two long spells out with hamstring tears last season while centre Romano had made a strong start to his Hull career.
Head coach John Cartwright said immediately after the Hull KR game: “My heart broke when I saw Jonny. We knew he’d done his hammy when he got up and he tried to walk off.”
The club say that “a full recovery timescale is yet to be determined for Asiata.
Following a blank weekend, having already been eliminated from the Challenge Cup, Hull host St Helens next Thursday.
They hope to have forwards Yusuf Aydin (ankle) and Brad Fash (head) back for that game but Joe Batchelor has been ruled out with a back strain.
Jake Arthur (calf), Herman Ese’ese (Achilles) and Harvey Barron (ankle) are due to return to action in early May while prop Jed Cartwright remains around six weeks away.
It’s been a tumultuous week at the club with coach Cartwright told he’ll be leaving at the end of the season and former England boss Steve McNamara, currently assistant at Warrington Wolves, linked with succeeding him.