Talau Blow Could Rule Him Out For Season

June 5, 2009 by Paul Mc

Salford City Reds’ star Centre Willie Talau’s injury-hit season continues with news that he may now be ruled out for the rest of the campaign with a serious thumb injury that could require the use of a screw to pin his thumb back into position.

Talau picked up the injury to his scaphoid in the defeat to Wigan Warriors in last week’s Carnegie Challenge Cup Quarter Final, but Reds’ medical staff fear the worst and he will now see a specialist to see if surgery is required. If that proves to be the case, Willie will undergo yet another operation, having already been under the knife this term for a depressed fracture of the cheekbone, and surgery to repair his tricep which was torn from the bone against Castleford in Round 3.

Talau had been named in the 19-man squad on Wednesday but it became clear by training on Thursday that he’d take no further part for the foreseeable future.

Head Coach Shaun McRae said: “Willie has a big problem now and if our fears are confirmed we won’t see him again this year as we’d be looking at a minimum four month recovery period. It’s massive blow to the club and the player, Willie had been chomping to get back at the bit after a frustrating lay-off earlier in the season so this is devastating news. Our medical team believe he will need the operation – there’s a kind of grinding when he moves his thumb and that’s usually a good indicator that it’s going to need screwing together but we’ll know the extent of things early next week.”

Talau will join the Reds other long-term casualty, winger, Paul White on the sidelines.