Leeds Rhinos have been dealt a double injury blow with the news that Mikolaj Oledzki and Luke Hooley will miss the start of the new Super League season. England prop Oledzki and new signing Hooley have both undergone surgery which is expected to rule them out for 12 weeks.
That means the pair will be absent for Rohan Smith's side when the new season gets underway in February. Oledzki has had surgery on a shoulder injury which has been causing the forward problems throughout the latter part of last season. He played through the pain to help the Rhinos to the Super League Grand Final in October.
Oledzki then expressed a desire to represent England in the World Cup and postpone the surgery further, and expert specialist opinion has confirmed that he now needs surgery for the injury to fully heal. He will be missing for 12 to 14 weeks.
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The news is equally disappointing regarding Hooley, who has just joined Leeds from Batley. He suffered an ankle injury following an innocuous trip in training, and has also been forced to go for surgery last week. He too is expected to be missing for 12 weeks.
Head coach Smith said: "It is never ideal when players have to have surgery but we are fortunate on the whole with our group that very few players are in that position ahead of the 2023 season.
"Understandably, Mik was keen to push himself for England selection for a home World Cup and that was his reward for an outstanding season with the Rhinos. Unfortunately, his time away has worsened the injury and he has immediately gone to have the operation. It is a long season, and especially when you consider the amount of minutes Mikey played last year, it will not do him any harm looking at the bigger picture to have some extra time off the field.
"Luke rolled his ankle in training which didn't look serious at the time, however the scans have revealed an issue. The decision was taken to take decisive action to make sure he is back on the field as soon as possible rather than rehab and then make a call. Both players are in the best possible hands with our medical team and their operations went well with no complications."
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