SAINTS full back Shannon McDonnell has confirmed that he has snapped his Achilles and will undergo surgery today to repair it.

The injury will sideline him for the remainder of the season, leaving Saints with a monumental headache at full back going into the crucial part of the campaign.

Having already lost first choice Jonny Lomax for the year with a knee injury and Lance Hohaia to retirement, coupled with the long-term absence of Paul Wellens with a serious hip problem, Saints are now without a specialist full back.

To compound their misery wing Tommy Makinson, who has played full back effectively, is currently sidelined with a broken leg.

Adam Swift can play full back, but even he is a doubt for Sunday with a neck injury sustained in Thursday's defeat at Castleford.

McDonnell's injury is a devastating blow, particularly since he had been playing so well since being snapped up following Hohaia's retirement.