LeagueNews.co | Jess Malloy
Canterbury Bulldogs General Manager Phil Gould has provided clarity on the absence of forward Samuel Hughes, who has been recovering from syndesmosis surgery following what was initially believed to be a minor ankle injury.
According to reports from zerotackle.com, Hughes was expected to participate in Round 1 against the Dragons after a solid pre-season.
However, he was ruled out after rolling his ankle during the second trial match.
Gould noted that early signs of recovery were optimistic, and Hughes even trained in the lead-up to the season opener.
Unfortunately, the severity of the injury became evident during training.
Gould stated, "Sam Hughes was an interesting one.
He rolled his ankle a little bit in the second trial of the year and was considered a chance of playing Round 1.
In fact, he trained in the week leading up to Round 1 and was ruled out at training.
He was still hobbling a little bit, but figuring that another week would be fine."