Championship side Hunslet RLFC have been dealt a huge blow just two weeks before the start of the season, with a new signing set for an extended period on the sidelines.
The club have confirmed that former Swinton Lions man Dan Abram fractured his hand before Christmas, and will miss the next two to three months.
Abram joined the club this off-season from the Lions, having also featured for Whitehaven, Rochdale, Barrow and Oldham in his career.
The 30-year-old is one of two key injury issues at the club, with head coach Kyle Trout also confirming that outside back Billy Jowitt is set for a spell on the sidelines too.
Giving a pre-season update following his side’s first training session after the Christmas break, he commented on both blows and how they will cope with the issues going forward.
He said: “Unfortunately we’ve got a couple of fractures with Dan and Billy. Dan’s probably going to be a while and Billy we are going to have to wait and see a specialist to check his medical and give us the bottom line.
“It’s not ideal, but we recruited in a way that means we’ve got players that can cover here, there and everywhere, and do it at a great level and make their own stamp.
“We’re not an environment where it’s a plug-and-play thing. We’re based on 17 personalities on each given game day. We just adapt, and deal with it, and stand by them boys getting back as quick as they can and hopefully we get a bit of luck go our way as well.”
Also in the update, Trout, who took over the head coach role from Dean Muir half-way through 2025, explained why the club have opted against playing a pre-season friendly, something many other sides are doing ahead of the regular season.
A mixture of finances, injuries and team selection were the main reasons, though the former Hull KR man did say that a fixture against amateur side Hunslet ARLFC was put in place, but due to a difference in tackle rulings between the Championship and NCL, the game couldn’t go ahead.
Commenting on the decision, he said: “It’s probably just been us trying to concentrate on ourselves, if I’m honest. With a club like ours, and the budget we’ve got and not having masses of numbers and having a couple of injuries, it’s sort of risk and reward.
“In a few weeks, if we have this conversation again, I might look back and say maybe we should have pushed for one. Likewise, we could have one next week, and in a few weeks go well we shouldn’t have had that. It’s just evaluating where we’re at for the greater good and at the minute it doesn’t really suit our squad.”
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