Dean Hadley fitness update after withdrawal from Hull KR opener

Hull KR forward Dean Hadley withdrew from Thursday night’s Super League opener against York Knights with a rib injury.

Hadley left the field during the warm-up at the LNER Community Stadium, with Rovers officials later confirming he had pulled out of the contest against the newly-promoted Knights.

A full update from Rovers coach Willie Peters is likely after the contest, but early reports from Sky Sports have suggested that the Dream Team forward was withdrawn due to a rib issue.

However, Hadley’s injury was described as ‘precautionary’, with next weekend’s showdown against NRL champions Brisbane Broncos in mind.

But it will be a major worry for Robins fans to lose such a key player from their opening match of the season, leading to inevitable doubts over whether he will be fit to take on Brisbane.

It looked as though Hull KR’s woes would be compounded even further just 60 seconds into the opening match of the season, as Jez Litten left the field for a HIA.

Litten collided with Knights prop Xavier Va’a and required medical attention on the field before being taken off for further checks.

However, the England international was able to return to continue after passing his HIA.

But there will be a nervous wait to discover whether or not another of Rovers’ key men will be fit to feature next weekend.