Widnes will have to enter the market for a new half-back after picking up another injury in Sunday’s defeat to Oldham.
Stand-off Joe Lyons was forced off inside the first 10 minutes of the 22-4 loss, appearing unable to put any weight on his ankle and the early fears from coach Allan Coleman is that he could be out long-term.
Without Lyons, Widnes were forced to play hookers Matty Fozard and Jordan Johnstone in the halves, and the disruption that caused was evident as they struggled to break down Sean Long’s side, despite having some chances in the second half.
Lyons had turned in his best performance of the season in the win over Toulouse the previous week and has long been a durable member of the Widnes squad, barely ever missing a game through injury since his real break through year in 2019.
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Lyons now joins Tom Gilmore and Dec Patton on the sidelines, meaning all three recognised half-backs in the Widnes squad are currently unavailable.
Coleman said: “If we don’t lose Joey Lyons, it’s a different game altogether. I’m not disappointed with how we performed – I’m disappointed with the tries – but I’m really disappointed with what’s happening at the minute.
“We can’t seem to get any luck and that’s the truth, I’m not looking for excuses, we’re just down on luck. I’ve never known anything like this, we’ve not got one fit half-back at the club.
“We’ve got to be better as a club, we’ve got to look what’s out there and I’ve got to be better as a coach to work out who I can get in. Joey is probably season ending, we’ve lost Tom there’s no quick fix here, we’ve got to bring somebody in. We’ve shown we can defend, but we can’t score points without a half and we need to bring one in.”
Half-backs on the sidelines
Gilmore is expected to miss the rest of the season with a pelvic injury and a torn groin sustained in the defeat to York.
It puts added pressure on the potential return of Patton, who is slated to come back in the next home game against Doncaster.
Patton hasn’t featured since he was forced off with an ankle injury in the home loss to Barrow on Good Friday. With him in the team, Widnes won five of their first six league games.
Jack Owens, who stepped in at stand-off, is currently sidelined with an ankle injury and is around six weeks away from a return.
Even youngster Will Roberts, drafted in on loan from St Helens recently, suffered an injury in the win over Toulouse, and he was still wearing a boot as he cheered on his brother Max and the Vikings team at Oldham.
On Roberts, Coleman said: “He’s out of it next week, but the turnaround (to Doncaster) will be too quick for him.
“We’ll have to bring one in and make him our own, whoever that may be. Even if Dec comes back, we’ll only have one and we’ve shown that you can’t play with one. Everyone plays with two and we need two. If we can get two halves in, we’ll be fine and put some teams to the sword.”
Possible options in the market
Half-backs are tough to find at the best of times, let alone at this stage of the season with the transfer deadline looming, and clubs reluctant to let out any cover they might have.
One possible option could be Kieran Tyrer, who spent some time at Widnes last season without featuring in a first team game, having just left Whitehaven citing travel and work commitments.
Warrington may be seeking game time for their number seven Leon Hayes in the coming weeks, as he nears fitness following a long injury lay-off, though that is unlikely to come in time to solve Widnes’ most pressing needs.
Another option might be Ewan Irwin, the young half-back who became the third youngest player to play Super League for Warrington earlier this season, and who has been getting good reviews playing for the club’s reserves and academy sides.
