Hull FC coach offers hopeful Will Pryce update after worrying Wigan injury

Hull FC coach John Cartwright has admitted he is hopeful Will Pryce’s worrying-looking knee injury could not be as bad as first feared.

Pryce left the field in the closing stages of the Black and Whites’ heavy loss to Wigan Warriors on Saturday evening in visible discomfort after an incident that appeared to leave him clutching his knee.

That prompted immediate fears of a serious lay-off for the star fullback, who will be integral to Hull’s hopes of making the play-offs in 2026.

But Cartwright, speaking to Sky Sports after the game, insisted that while it remains ‘very early’ in terms of a diagnosis, the early signs from speaking to the medical staff appear to not be as bad as many had first feared.

He said: I quickly spoke to the doctor then and they were happy that it was stable. It’s still very early, but hopefully it’s stable and that’s a good sign.”

That would be a significant boost for Hull, who remain down on troops – though several are close to a return.

They include Zak Hardaker, who could be set to return against York Knights next week, while influential half-back Jake Arthur and star forward John Asiata are closing in on comebacks: as is new signing James Bell.

Cartwright said: “Zak Hardaker could be back (against York). John Asiata and Jake Arthur are very close. Herman (Ese’ese) is out for a while, but Belly’s not far away.”

Cartwright insisted there was no panic after the 34-6 loss at the Brick Community Stadium against the Warriors, but stressed there is plenty of work to do after sneaking past newly-promoted Bradford last week.

He said: “There are troops coming, so there’s no panic stations, but we’ve got to address the area we came up short in tonight, and that was in the middle of the field.”