Hull dealt HUGE John Asiata lay-off as Arthur Romano also set for long-term absence

Hull FC have confirmed that John Asiata has suffered another hamstring tear and will be missing for a lengthy period of time – with centre Arthur Romano also joining him on the sidelines.

Asiata went down in visible discomfort during the second half of last weekend’s Hull derby, with immediate fears that his problem area in the hamstring – where he has already suffered multiple injuries – had again flared up.

And unfortunately, those fears have come to fruition, with Hull confirming on Friday morning that Asiata has indeed torn the hamstring once again. An exact timeframe has not been put on his recovery but it will likely be several months before the veteran forward, one of Hull’s most important, will be seen on the pitch again.

It is a devastating blow not only for Hull, but for Asiata. When fit, he remains one of the standout 13s in Super League but the Black and Whites have been unable to get the forward on the pitch on a regular basis since he moved to the club at the start of last season. They will now be without him long-term again.

And Romano is also missing for several months after scans confirmed the Frenchman has suffered a syndesmosis injury in the same game last weekend. Hull have revealed that Romano is also set for a long-term absence as a result.

There is slightly better news elsewhere. Joe Batchelor also went off in the derby with a back strain, but he should be fit by the end of this month.

Half-back Jake Arthur’s recovery from a calf strain is progressing – and he is in line to return at the start of next month alongside key forward Herman Ese’ese, who is nearing a full recovery after suffering an Achilles tear last year.

Jed Cartwright is around six weeks away from being fully fit, meanwhile.