SAINTS will be without hooker James Roby for Thursday’s trip to Salford but are hopeful that it is not a long-term injury.

The club are still awaiting a final assessment, and although resigned to losing him for Thursday they were hopeful of a swift recovery.

Roby was led off in some agony at the start of the second half of Friday night's win over Hudfersfield.

Coach Keiron Cunningham said: “We are just waiting on the final report, but we obviously know from see the kid that he is really sore.

“It is probably a rib cartilage or something along those lines.

“Hopefully it is the lesser of the two things it could be and that would mean it would not be an overly long period of time.

“It is just uncomfortable and we are just going off Robes’ symptoms.

“I don’t think we have got a hope for this week with it being such a short turnaround.

“That is unfortunate, but it just gives someone else a shot.

“There is nothing you can do to progress it – just let his body heal. He is generally a good healer anyway.

“If anyone is going to get a shot in a couple of weeks it will be Robes.”

Saints have a couple of options at hooker – and tried a number of those out in the pre-seasn friendlies.

“Theo Fages can play nine as can Morgan Knowles, who played there in the trials, as well as Duggie Charnock. We have options,” Cunningham said.