Betts reveals head knock and injury woe

During their latest Super League encounter at Salford, Vikings’ hooker Jordan Johnstone was knocked out and had to leave the field with concussion.

It was the latest in a series of such incidents this season for Denis Betts and his overworked medical team.

“We seem to be really struggling with head knocks year – every game we are getting at least one.” He said.

“I think there might only have been one or two games all year where we haven’t lost anyone to concussion. We only carried one hooker into competition this week because we only had one fit in the team.

“They made him work hard and that’s a culmination of Jordan being brave and throwing himself into a tackle. Being fatigued he got knocked out and lost to a game.”

With Aaron Heremaia and Lloyd White ruled out of the game it is almost as if Widnes have a hooking curse.

“At the moment, yeah it seems like that when you are in the middle of it,” Betts added.

“We were cursed with our halves position for eight rounds – we didn’t have any forwards really for seven rounds, and now we are struggling for backs. I wish I had the answer.

“Somebody just said do you cross your fingers and hope you get somebody back? Well if I’m crossing my fingers I am paying somebody too much money to look after them. I’ve got physios working pretty hard over the Easter period – trying to get people back on their feet.

“I’ve got lads in every single day trying to do rehab and put themselves back into contention. We are working hard with the lads in the background trying to get them back on the field.”

“I felt before Easter that we were just starting to get that back. To lose Cory (Thompson) and Rhys (Hanbury) late in the week was tough.”