Leigh Leopards: Frankie Halton injury timeframe revealed as coach discusses ‘sad’ blow and close returnees

Leigh Leopards coach Adrian Lam has confirmed that new signing Frankie Halton will be out for up to three months after suffering an injury whilst on his debut.

Ireland international Halton sustained a torn pectoral muscle whilst on his Leigh debut in their 30-12 win over Warrington a fortnight ago after making the move to his hometown club from Hull KR.

Halton has since undergone surgery to repair his injury, but unfortunately faces up to 12 weeks on the sidelines.

Speaking after their 28-16 win over Hull on Friday night, Lam said: “Frankie had an operation on his pectoral muscle which was torn.

“He’ll be out long-term, he’ll probably be 12 weeks so we won’t see him until probably six games before the finals.

“Frankie is a sad one. I like the way he plays and I’m looking forward to help building him as a player.”

Experienced trio close to returning from the treatment room

Whilst the injury to Halton is a big blow for Leigh, they will be welcoming back a couple of experienced forwards over the next few weeks, according to Lam.

He said: “Even though we’ve been winning, we’ve still had some of our best players not in the 17.

“Jack Hughes, Ben Nakubuwai and Joe Wardle are close to returning soon. We’ve got Dan Norman now and Frankie Halton will be back before the end of the year.

“But those other boys, Jack Hughes with all that experience, he captained Warrington. Ben Nakubuwai, I think was one of the best front-rowers in the World Cup and Joe Wardle, who we know is aggressive and tough, so those three come back into our 17 over the next month which will be great for us.”

Adrian Lam hails in-form Leigh Leopards duo

The Leopards have enjoyed a terrific season so far, currently sitting in third in the Super League table having won 10 from 15 matches.

Two players that have been key to Leigh’s impressive campaign are winger Josh Charnley and full-back Gareth O’Brien.

On Charnley, Lam said: “Josh is a happy player at the moment, he’s just enjoying himself and working hard.

“The pre-season he’s had has put him in this position, without a doubt. Any player outside of rugby league that wants to be professional, if you can get that right, it certainly puts you in position to be successful and that’s what Josh has done.”

On O’Brien, Lam added: “He’s been awesome all year for us. I think he’s in the top five for try assists at the moment but what he has given our team has been absolute class. The boys love him and he’s getting a great combination with Lachlan Lam, Joe Mellor and Ben Reynolds.

“He’s a tough player, I’ve got a lot of respect for him and I respect what he has been able to do for us as a team and how he’s picked it up really quickly. He’s been class for us.”

Leigh will turn their attention to the Challenge Cup this week with a trip to Championship side York in the Challenge Cup quarter-finals on Sunday, 5pm kick-off.

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