YORK Knights boss Mark Applegarth expects both Liam Harris and Will Dagger will spend a period of time on the sidelines after picking up hamstring injuries during last weekend’s victory against Doncaster.

A Joe Brown double, alongside tries from Oli Field, Sam Cook, two Dagger penalties and a drop-goal saw the Knights atone for their 36-20 defeat on the opening day of the Betfred Championship season in a dominant 27-0 triumph.

Applegarth had labelled the Knights’ spine as one of the best in the Championship, but that has now crumbled, with half-back Ata Hingano also unlikely to feature at Bradford Bulls on Sunday after a suspected eye socket fracture.

However, he believes it has been best case scenario for the Tongan, who has seen a specialist during the week, for once his swelling lessens, he could return to contention as early as next weekend’s visit of Swinton Lions.

“I think he’s got a specialist appointment today (Wednesday), but hopefully, once that swelling’s gone, he should be fine for next week,” Applegarth explained.

“All things considering, he’s got away pretty lightly.

“I know with all that swelling that it looked really bad, and it’s a credit to how tough he is that he played on because his eye’s still shut now. Once that swelling’s gone down then he should be alright to go. He’s a tough cookie, so he’ll be okay.

“It was a friendly fire incident too, I think him and Jimmy Keinhorst clashed together. I think he’ll just miss a week, and that’ll be an ideal scenario because he’s another that’s been playing really well.”

Hingano suffered a suspected eye socket fracture after a collision with teammate Jimmy Keinhorst.Hingano suffered a suspected eye socket fracture after a collision with teammate Jimmy Keinhorst. (Image: Craig Hawkhead Photography)

Despite losing three key members of his squad ahead of a tough trip to Odsal, the head coach is pragmatic, and is looking forward to others stepping up in their absence.

He insisted: “You’ve just got to roll with the blows.

“It’s looking like Liam and Will Dagger will be a bit more long-term, but we’re hoping Ata should be okay after this week, all being well.

"We’re just waiting for some confirmation, but it’s looking like Liam and Dags will be a bit more long-term.

“You put that on top of the lads that we’re already missing, like Bailey and Jesse, we’re missing quite a few senior lads.

“But it’s a chance for other people to perform. Long story short, we’ve got a few people missing, but at the same time it’s that next man mentality and you’ve got to carry on performing.”

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Harris was withdrawn at half time having felt his hamstring as he went to kick - seeing Cook make an impressive cameo in the halves – whilst Dagger played the full 80 minutes at full-back.

They are the third and fourth such injuries over the last two months, with AJ Towse having pulled up in support of Jordan Thompson and Brown at Swinton in May, and prop Ukuma Ta’ai sidelined after tweaking his hamstring against Featherstone Rovers last month.

Applegarth is hopeful that their most recent can be nipped in the bud but admits work must be done behind the scenes to mitigate the risks of similar injuries to other members of the squad.

“They’re both hamstrings. It’s something that we’re analysing behind the scenes,” he continued.

“I know that there was a bit of an issue with it before I came in too, so there’s definitely something that we can isolate and have a look at. It’s probably not a fix that we can put in until next pre-season.

“But we’re hoping that we’ve caught them both at the acute stage – definitely with Liam before half time – but these things happen.

“Liam’s been in a rich vein of form, he’s been a massive part of what we’ve been doing, and so is Dags. Hopefully they’ll be speedy recoveries.

“But at the same time, it’s a chance for others to step up into those roles and show us what they can do. I’m looking forward to it.”