Head knock rules Andrew Heffernan out for rest of season

Hull KR centre Andrew Heffernan has been ruled out for the rest of the season due to his ongoing concussion injury.

Heffernan, 23, has only made seven appearances this season and has been sidelined since suffering a head knock in the win over Widnes back in April.

Coach Tim Sheens told the club’s official website: “It’s a big blow for the player and the club. These types of injuries are entirely based on the symptoms you have.

“There’s nothing to say you’ll be out for ‘X’ amount of weeks, it’s a case of seeing how the player is and Heff has still been experiencing symptoms, particularly after heavier training sessions or contact.

“To consider when a player can and can’t play with these types of injuries is out of our hands. It is the specialists who make those decisions and we’re following the advice Heff has been given.

“They’ve told him not to play for three months and then they’ll see him again, and that timeframe effectively rules him out for the season.

“At the moment, taking care of his health is the main aim. He can still train but he can’t do anything heavy to inflame the situation so he’ll be monitored carefully by our medical staff.

“It leaves us a bit short in the centres with Thomas Minns unavailable as well. Luckily, we brought Junior Vaivai in and him and Liam Salter have been holding the fort there, but Salts has a foot injury that he’s needing to manage and he might not be available this week.

“We’ll have to come up with a solution with the players we’ve got or look outside of the club at somebody who could come in.”

The former Canberra and Penrith junior was Hull KR’s young player of the year last season as they earned promotion back to Super League at the first attempt.