Thursday 24 January 2019 10:16, UK
Wakefield have suffered a major blow on the eve of the new Super League season with the loss of forward Pauli Pauli for up to three months with a knee injury.
The 24-year-old former Newcastle Knights player, who at 6ft 4in and 19st proved a handful for defences in his first season in Super League in 2018, damaged his posterior cruciate ligament in last Saturday's pre-season friendly against Newcastle Thunder.
Scans have since revealed the full extent of the damage and, following consultations with an orthopaedic knee specialist, the club say Pauli will be sidelined for two to three months.
A statement said: "He has been placed in a knee brace for the first three to four weeks.
"Following the removal of this brace he can begin his rehabilitation with the medical staff, who hope to have him back as soon as possible."
Pauli played in all but three of Wakefield's 30 Super League matches in 2018, 22 of them from the bench, and in June was given a new contract for 2019.
