Leigh Leopards receive positive Umyla Hanley news as coach delivers comprehensive injury update

There’s positive news for Leigh Leopards where Umyla Hanley’s fresh shoulder issue is concerned, but the centre will be sidelined for the next couple of weeks.

Hanley made his long-awaited return from a shoulder problem picked up in pre-season as Leigh travelled to Warrington Wolves in the Challenge Cup quarter-finals.

But that return lasted just 25 minutes as he suffered a fresh issue to his opposite shoulder, leaving head coach Adrian Lam and all of a Leopards persuasion worried.

Leigh make the trip to York Knights on Friday evening as Super League returns, and will be without Hanley.

The news on him is better than expected though, and he won’t be out of the fold for too long.

Leigh Leopards receive positive Umyla Hanley news as coach delivers comprehensive injury update

Speaking in his pre-match press conference on Tuesday afternoon, Papua New Guinean boss Lam provided a comprehensive injury update.

On Hanley, he explained: “We got him scanned yesterday (Tuesday), so we’re waiting to hear back on that, but that should be through by now.

“I think it’s good news in the sense it’s not long-term, but it’s still maybe one or two weeks (out), we’ll have to wait and see what the report that comes through this afternoon says.

“It’s not serious as far as I’m aware just on the feedback from our medical team, but we’ll probably know the detail of it in the next hour or so.

“It’s on the other side. The first one, he had a small fracture in the collarbone. There’s no fracture this time, we’ve just got to work out what the injury is, I presume it will be two weeks out.”

After a torturous start to the season on the injury front, which has contributed to a torrid run of results, the Leopards are finally starting to look a bit healthier.

Only Andy Badrock remains a long-term absentee, as Lam detailed: “Frankie Halton is coming back from his failed HIA, and AJ Towse is in consideration this week.

“Keanan (Brand) rolled his ankle again last week, so that’s set him back two or three weeks. It was in training, just an accident, but that was the bad luck we’ve been talking about! He should be back in a couple of weeks.

“We’re hoping for Bailey (Hodgson) to be ready for the Catalans game (in Round 10) and Davey Armstrong maybe that week or the week after. They’re not too far off.

“(Andy) Badrock is out for three-to-four months, he’s had a shoulder reconstruction. That’s a minimum.

“It’s unlucky for him, we had big plans for him this year, but it wasn’t to be.”

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