England's forgotten man Jordan Abdull hoping fate deals him better hand as Hull KR aim to lift injury curse

The Hull KR half-back was in possession of an England shirt a year out from a home World Cup following a stellar season in Super League which earned him a place on the Man of Steel shortlist.

Fast forward to May and Abdull's World Cup dream was over after suffering a season-ending quad injury.

Now fully fit following a painstaking stretch in rehab, Abdull is hoping fate deals him a better hand in 2023.

"Sport is all about opportunities and taking opportunities when they come," he told The Yorkshire Post.

"At the end of 2021, I had the opportunity to play for my country and took it with both hands. A few months later, I'm injured for the rest of the year.

"You've got to ride the highs and lows, and when you do get those opportunities make sure you're in the best possible position to take them.

"If I have a good year, you don't know what's going to happen at the end of the year."

Much has changed since Abdull last pulled on a shirt in Hull KR's Challenge Cup semi-final loss to Huddersfield Giants.

Willie Peters has replaced Tony Smith in the Craven Park hot seat, while the squad has a fresh look following the addition of seven new faces including Tom Opacic and Sauaso Sue.

The slate has been wiped clean after a difficult season which was plagued by coaching upheaval and an unprecedented injury crisis.

"I've got a lot of respect for Tony and everything he did for this club," said Abdull.

"It probably helped that I was injured around the time when everything happened because I wasn't in that position where I was trying to get my head around everything on the field.

"We didn't have a great year. I'd like to say that when I play I can have an effect on the boys. Me not being able to do that and do my job, you almost feel a bit hopeless.

"It's the first time it's been quite a long rehab so I'm hoping that it's my only one."

Abdull was just one of countless Hull KR players that succumbed to injury in 2022 to continue a perennial theme for the Robins.

Under interim boss Danny McGuire, Rovers could name only 16 players for the Hull derby on the final weekend in a Super League first.

KR were not alone in their injury struggles at the end of a gruelling season – but it is a concerning issue that cannot be ignored.

After watching from afar as the Rovers squad fell apart at the seams, Peters has taken steps to finally rid the club of the injury curse.

"Hopefully this year we're not going to be as decimated with injuries and can right a few wrongs from some of our preparation stuff last year," said Abdull. "Willie is implementing a few changes with regards to recovery which is hopefully going to prevent injuries.

"We had two hamstrings and my quad – there were a lot of soft tissue injuries. That's an area we need to improve and Willie has brought in some new recovery stuff which all the boys have bought into.

"Touch wood we've had no injuries up to now whereas we're normally two or three down. Maybe the luck is starting to change."

Hull KR defied their injury problems to reach the Super League semi-finals in 2021 but that has proved to be an outlier.

The Robins limped to an eighth-placed finish last season, a position that was improved by a late flurry of wins.

Despite the injuries and dramatic loss of form, Rovers finished only four points behind Salford Red Devils who went on to make the semi-finals.

If the changes implemented by Peters bear fruit, Abdull is optimistic about KR's prospects.

"You look at our squad and it can compete with the very best," he said. "But the best teams tend to have their best players on the field for the most amount of games.

"Unfortunately we didn't get that last season and it showed with where we finished.

"If we can keep our best boys out there and stay hungry, who knows what next year is going to bring."

Abdull is preparing for his fourth season with Hull KR after returning from London Broncos at the end of 2019.

The 26-year-old – a loanee during the 2017 campaign – rates the current squad as the best he has been involved in at Rovers.

As well as recruiting Opacic and Sue from the NRL, the Robins have added domestic talent in the shape of James Batchelor and Louis Senior, while Brett Delaney is preparing for his first full season on the coaching staff.

"I think so," he replied when asked whether it was the best squad in his time at the club.

"Willie has got a lot of NRL experience as well. In terms of staff, it's the strongest position we've been in off the field as well as on it.

"Without jinxing it, I'm really confident we can have a better year."