YORK KNIGHTS have hooker Jacques O’Neill chomping at the bit – but have lost centre and fellow close-season signing Jude Ferreira for the rest of the campaign.
Ferreira, the 23-year-old Hull Academy product who represented London Broncos on loan before joining Hunslet and helping them win promotion to the Championship last season, has a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
“We’ll all be around him, and it’s really important that we keep him involved and support him through this,” said coach Mark Applegarth.
“How Jude went about pre-season and stepping back up to the Championship has been commendable.”
Ex-Castleford player O’Neill, who hit the national headlines when he appeared on the reality TV show Love Island in 2022, is now over a hamstring problem and made his first appearance since September 2021 as York beat Widnes 26-12.
But he missed out on Saturday’s 36-6 follow-up win at London Broncos.
His coach said: “He’d been knocking on that door for weeks. He’s been not only asking me but showing me in training that he was ready to play again.”