Eastmond to miss season’s start

Correspondent

St Helens star Kyle Eastmond is likely to miss the start of the new Super League season with an ankle injury.

Eastmond, 21, needs an operation on a second ankle, after missing the end of last season through injury to the other.

New Saints boss Royce Simmons said: “When his ankle was operated on, they checked the mobility in the other one he injured earlier in the year. They noticed a bit of movement so we sat down with Kyle and said we didn’t want it going on him four weeks before the playoffs again.
 
“At this point we hope to have him back for Round 1, but he won’t have done much by then. There’s no pressure on them though if he misses the first couple of rounds.”

The club is also sweating on the fitness of Leon Pryce, who is training following an operation to repair a bulging disk in his neck, but he is yet to return to contact work, while new signing Josh Perry is expected to arrive in the UK after Christmas following rehab on an ankle injury.