HULL FC face the prospect of having one of their stars out for the rest of the Super League season, head coach Tony Smith has confirmed.
Smith, in his pre-match press conference this week, stated that centre or winger Mitieli Vulikijapani could face a year out if he makes the difficult decision of having an operation on his knee following a series of recurring injuries.
“We’ll probably get him operated on, that’s probably what we’re thinking on at the moment,” Smith told BBC Humberside.
“Otherwise he is just going to get into this vicious circle of re-injuring it, re-injuring it an re-injuring it and missing numbers of weeks.”
Smith believes that the medical advice could sway the decision for Vulikijapani to get an operation.
“The final decision is Mitieli’s to make as to whether he has an operation and gets it fixed up and then resumes his career, or whether he rehabs.
“The medical advice is probably leaning towards getting the operation done and then having a batter chance of cracking on with his career.
“We’re not looking at a short operation here though, minimum nine months but we’re probably looking at twelve months.
“It’s a big call for him to make and he’ll make it soon.”
The Hull FC boss also explained how the operation will not just affect his rugby league career but also the rest of the Fijian’s life.
“We’ve had numerous chats about it and there’s no pressure on him. This is a personal one that doesn’t only affect his career but it also affects his lifestyle for the rest of his life.
“He’s not getting influenced by anything I say. He’s just got my support to do what he thinks is best for him and his family.”
