St Helens forward James Bentley faces spell on sidelines with broken leg
St Helens forward James Bentley faces a lengthy spell out of the game after breaking his leg in the Super League champions' 22-12 win at Leigh.
The 23-year-old former Bradford second-rower was carried off on a stretcher during Friday's game at Leigh Sports Village and scans have confirmed the club's worst fears.
Bentley, who was in Saints' Grand Final-winning team in November and has started all six league and cup games so far this year, will undergo surgery this week but coach Kristian Woolf says the injury is not season-ending.
"Obviously it is not good news,'' Woolf said. "He does have a break in his leg and there is a bit of damage to his ankle as well.
"It is a complicated one and he is going to go in for surgery later this week and he will be out for an extended period of time.
"We don't know the full extent of how long he will be out for just yet. It won't be season-ending but it will be extensive and, once he gets that surgery performed, we will know the exact time frames in terms of when he will come back to play.
"James is a real respected member of our team and has been a massive part of our team and success over the last few years, especially in the back end of last year.
"He is a player who gives his all every week and he is going to be missed. We hope his surgery goes well and we wish him a speedy recovery. We look forward to having him back with us later in the year.''