John Cartwright on two potential Hull FC returns.
Hull FC’s Liam Watts in action.
Hull FC are hoping to have Sam Eseh back for next week’s clash against Leeds Rhinos but are even more hopeful of Liam Watts returning.
Eseh missed the St Helens clash on Friday night with a hamstring injury, while Watts failed his HIA against Leigh Leopards last week and will now look to pass the return to play protocols.
Meanwhile, John Cartwright is counting on both players being available for the Rhinos game at the MKM Stadium, especially after losing back rower Jed Cartwright to a pectoral injury inside the first five minutes of the Saints defeat.
Speaking post-match, the Hull head coach said: “I’m hopeful Sam will be back, but I’m more hopeful Liam Watts will be back. I think he’ll be alright. He just needs to get through his head protocols. With Sam, we’ll just have to have a good week of training and then we’ll make a call on him.
“It’s been difficult but we can’t use injuries as an excuse. We’ll dust ourselves off and we’ll get ready for Leeds. It’s going to be a massive occasion for us.”
As well as Watts and Eseh, Hull also lost John Asiata and Will Pryce to injury last week – with Cartwright giving his first reaction after confirmation was given midweek that they will miss the rest of the season.
“It was a tough week preparation-wise,” Cartwright said. “Those boys (Asiata and Pryce), they had a good opportunity against Salford to get things together and then the first half against Leigh was as good as we could possibly play.
“We finished that game well. Injuries are part of the game, but to lose those two guys for ten weeks, a week apart, and then to lose them both again on the same night ten weeks later – I thought that luck might bounce back our way tonight, but it didn’t.”
However, despite the mounting injury woes, Cartwright still believes Hull’s end of season is in their own hands.
“We’ve got a good turnaround this week,” he added. “We’ll get three training days in and we’ll be ready for next week.
“Regardless of what happens, I still think it’s in our own hands. You win your games and that will look after itself, but it’s one week at a time. We’ve got a really tough one against Leeds, who got us in the last minute last time we played them, but we know we can compete with them.”