Jinxed Brown back on sidelines (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Jinxed Brown back on sidelines

3:00pm Thursday 2nd July 2009 in

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Cougars prop Craig Brown is praying he can get back on the pitch before the end of this season so he can prove to coach Barry Eaton he was worth signing from Sheffield Eagles.

Brown suffered a broken thumb in last weekend’s win over Rochdale Hornets and now faces up to seven weeks out of the game.

It is his third major injury of the season as he has previously been ruled out for long periods with a broken hand and then a damaged foot.

Brown, 29, went straight to hospital after the game and had an operation on Monday.

He said: “When they x-rayed the injury they found that my thumb bone had gone out of alignment and I had to have it put back in place.

“They’ve wired the bone in position and I’ve got to go back in two weeks for a check-up, then return two weeks after that to check how it’s healed.

“I’m just hoping and praying that I can get back before the end of the season to show what I can do.

“Barry must be wondering what he’s signed because this has been a nightmare season for me. First it was a broken hand and then a foot injury. Now it’s my thumb and it’s really frustrating for me.

“The worst thing is that I’ve never had anything like this happen to me in my career before.

“In four years at Sheffield all I suffered was a minor hamstring tweak and I can’t believe what’s happened to me since I signed for the Cougars.”

As a double blow for Brown, he is not able to work because he is a self-employed carpet fitter and he admitted: “It’s not much good for business, that’s for sure.”

Cougars could also be without winger Gavin Duffy for up to a month. He pulled out of the game against Rochdale after injuring his ankle at work.

Eaton said: “It’s not quite as bad an injury as first appeared. At first we thought he had broken his ankle but now it looks as though its badly sprained and he could be out for up to a month.”

Reflecting on what has been an injury-hit season for his troops, Eaton said: “Just when it looked as though we had come through the worst of the situation, we pick up two more long-term injuries.

“It’s not been the easiest of seasons for us, with key players out for long spells, but we’ll keep battling on.”

Eaton will also be running a check on winger Lee Mapals, who suffered a bang on his knee during the Hornets game.