Hull KR boss Willie Peters ready to welcome key men back after confirming Ethan Ryan injury timescale
Lachlan Coote is set to give Hull KR a timely boost after Ethan Ryan was ruled out for around eight weeks following surgery on a broken jaw.
The 33-year-old has missed the last three games with a hamstring issue sustained in early May but is poised to make his comeback when the Robins take on Salford Red Devils at St James' Park on Saturday.
Coote will return in a straight swap for Ryan after the stand-in full-back saw his brief run in the side halted by a long-term injury suffered in the dying seconds of last week's golden-point loss to Wigan Warriors.
Rovers head coach Willie Peters said: "Lachlan is working towards being back this week.
"He's training well and we're hopeful he'll be able to take his place.
"It's been unfortunate for us and him that he has been out but he's worked hard to put himself in the picture.
"He is likely to play. There's no doubt that it's a position we're lacking a little bit of depth in."
Ryan's injury limits his remaining game time for Hull KR ahead of his departure at the end of the season.
The winger, who joined the Robins from Bradford Bulls in 2019, has scored five tries in six games this year.
"It's about an eight-week injury," said Peters. "It can be between six and 10 weeks.
"He's obviously had a decent crack to his jaw. It was terrible to see him go down like that on the last play of the game. He's had the operation and is still in a lot of pain.
"I also want to point out the class of Wigan and the way Kris Radlinski, Matt Peet and the team over there handled the situation. They sent Ethan a nice gift which he was really appreciative of and put a smile on his face.
"It's devastating for him and us because he was in really good form."
Peters has been forced to field a makeshift spine recently but could have chief playmaker Jordan Abdull back for next week’s trip to Catalans Dragons, while fellow half-back Rowan Milnes is also closing in on his return from injury.
George King is set to bolster KR’s pack for the Magic Weekend date with Salford after sitting out the last two games with a calf injury, and fellow prop Rhys Kennedy is available again following a one-match suspension.
"George King is back and will take his place this week,” added Peters.
“George and Lachlan will be key for us. We wanted to make sure George was okay to come back and be George King by playing the way he has been playing. You know what you are going to get from George.
"I can see a really determined, hungry George King after having a couple of weeks out. I’m sure we’ll see the best of him this week.
"Rhys Kennedy is in the picture as well. We’ll work towards finalising the team at the back end of the week.
"Jordan Abdull will hopefully be back next week and Rowan Milnes is a couple of weeks away. We lost both our number sevens in the space of a two-week period so we’ve done it a little bit tough in that area but Jez Litten is doing his best and he will continue to do that."