Jed Cartwright out with foot issue as serious injuries confirmed for Hull FC duo

Hull FC will be without Jed Cartwright for a 'few weeks at least' as the Australian forward deals with a foot injury. The 27-year-old heard a 'pop' in his foot during the reserves victory over Leigh Leopards last weekend, with Simon Grix confirming that the club still needs to get to the bottom of the issue.

Hull were hoping to manage Cartwright this week in the hope of debuting him in Super League against Salford Red Devils. However, that plan will now not come to fruition with the player wearing a protective boot to aid his recovery. The injury is a brand new injury and not a reoccurrence of a previous issue.

Elsewhere, Grix confirmed that Cam Scott, who will join Wakefield Trinity next year, will be out for around three months with a hamstring tear and may have played his last game for the club, while Jack Ashworth is set for a couple months out after recent ankle surgery.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Grix said: "Jed landed a week or so before the Warrington game. He had not played for a couple of weeks and then had to travel. He stiffened up leading into that game, so we didn't push him into that one.

"Last week, we were off, but Jed stuck around and trained with the reserves, which was good. He showed that he was willing and wanted to get in there and do his bit. He felt, as did we, that it would do him good to get in there and get some minutes in the reserves.

"Unfortunately, he felt a bit of a pop in his foot after around thirty minutes into the game. He did a decent job in the game; to be fair, he blew some cobwebs off, but we'll be without him now for a few weeks at least.

"He's in a boot. That's the way it is now. He's straight in the boot to protect it from further damage. We'll know a lot more in a couple of weeks. We're not 100% sure at the moment."

As for Ashworth and Scott, Grix continued: "It's unfortunate for Jack. It was one of those off-the-ball ones. He twisted his ankle, and he ruptured some ligaments, which needed correcting through surgery. He's going to be out for eight weeks. It's a big one and a blow for us.

"Cam has a significant hamstring tear. It's at the long end of the scale in terms of recovery, and unfortunately, as we're all aware he is moving on at the end of the year, it would be a shame for him to finish his Hull FC career in this way.

"We'll get around him and support him, and if there's a chance of playing, it'll be great to have him back towards the end of the year. We've got three months left, and he'll be pushing it. He's potentially played his last game for the club."

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Grix gave some lighter news on Ligi Sao and Danny Houghton. Despite fears of a more severe blow to his ankle, Sao could be okay to feature against Salford, while Houghton is also in contention.

"Ligi is, touch wood, okay to play," Grix explained. "That's so long as nothing happens between now and the weekend. He's ruptured a ligament in his ankle, but it's not as severe as Jack's. We're going to have to be careful with him, and it's a case of managing him through the week.

"Danny is okay. He's trained. It's not only his ribs. There are other bits and bobs, but he's tough, and he's certainly in the picture to play this week."

Grix also provided an update on Mitieli Vulikijapani, who has been back in training in recent weeks but is still a while away from a return. "It's been a long and drawn-out process for him," Grix said. "I think he's sick to death of doing the rehab runs. There's still no clear update, but we're not expecting him back in the coming weeks."

After featuring for France against England, Tiaki Chan will also be available this week, continuing his loan spell from Wigan Warriors. "Tiaki has come back with a spring in his step," Grix added. "He's full of energy, as he normally is, so he comes straight back into contention."

The likes of Joe Cator (back), Nick Staveley (ACL), Sully Medforth (collar bone), and Cobie Wainhouse (ACL) remain on the sidelines.

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