Danny McGuire has admitted that Hull KR are scouring the world for a new forward after suffering three major injury blows.
Mose Masoe’s career is over after he suffered a serious spinal injury in the pre-season game against Wakefield last week, with the injury so serious that the 30-year-old is not currently able to walk, although surgeons hope that he will eventually regain the use of his legs.
Fellow co-captain Weller Hauraki is set for several months on the sideline too, leaving the Robins without two of their biggest, most experienced forwards.
To make matters worse, Dean Hadley now faces three months on the sidelines after a gruesome injury in the club’s pre-season victory over Featherstone, dislocating him thumb through his skin during the match.
With Mitch Garbutt still recovering from a knee injury and Matt Parcell set to miss the start of the season through suspension, the Robins have been forced to immediately assess their options in the transfer market ahead of the big kick-off.
McGuire confirmed the Robins will apply for salary cap dispensation for Masoe, leaving them with a non-federation spot on their overseas quota.
“We’re definitely on the lookout now,” McGuire said.
“I’ve been talking to the agents I met during my time in Australia. We’ve been putting some names together to give ourselves as many options as possible. Losing Mose, Weller and now Deano leaves a massive hole in the forward pack that we need to try and fill.
“It’s not an ideal time to recruit, squads are settled and it’s hard to conjure up names. If they’re available there’s normally a reason, so we’ve to weigh up our options to ensure we get the right person in.”
On Masoe, McGuire continued: “We’ve to sort salary cap relief with the RFL but we’re hopeful they will sanction it. His quota spot opens up a non-federation spot for us. Mose was one of our key players and won’t be easy to replace, not just for what he did on the field but off it too. But the team and the game carry on and we need to act quickly.
“We decided in the off-season to recruit some young players, but this now probably requires someone who is going to come in and do a job for a year and do it professionally.”