Kevin Locke 'could still play in Super 8 Qualifiers' says Wakefield coach Brian Smith
Thursday 23 July 2015 09:33, UK
Wakefield say the injury suffered by Kevin Locke during last weekend’s Super League game against Castleford is not as bad as first feared.
However, it is still unknown if he will be fit enough to play any part in the end-of-season Super 8 Qualifiers, a mini-league involving the bottom four teams of Super League and top four of the Championship.
The New Zealand international full-back sustained a ruptured pectoral muscle on Sunday and Wakefield coach Brian Smith said: "It is substantial but not as frightening as we thought on game day.
"Kevin has got a pectoral muscle on his chest attached to his arm that has been ruptured quite significantly. He is not going to be a very well boy for a little while at least.
"It looked like he would probably miss the remainder of the season.
"Kevin has been given a few options by the specialist that he saw in Manchester, one of which was to rehab the injured area over the next three weeks.
“That would mean he would be somewhere around the first and second game in the middle eights.
"At that point it will be determined whether that rehab allows him to function at a professional performance level.
“If that is the case we will go forward from there and hope that it works out for him."
The 26-year-old Locke only joined the Wildcats in June after securing a release from Salford and was injured in only his third game for them.
Wakefield play their last game of the regular season at Huddersfield on Sunday before entering the Qualifiers which will determine the make-up of Super League in 2016.
