Leigh Hodgson faces season‑ending doubts after elbow surgery

Leigh Leopards full‑back Bailey Hodgson, 23, who has made 11 appearances this season, is likely to miss the rest of the Super League campaign after a bone infection in his elbow required surgery, head coach Adrian Lam said, adding that the recovery timetable remains unclear.

The 23‑year‑old suffered an infection in the bone of his elbow and underwent surgery to remove the affected tissue. Lam noted that a portion of the bone had to be taken away, but no specific timeframe for Hodgson's return has been set.

Hodgson most recently featured for Leigh on 4 July, when the club secured a Super League victory over Warrington. That appearance marked his 11th outing of the campaign.

"He has had a second operation on his elbow this week and that doesn't look good," Lam told BBC Radio Manchester. "It might be long term and potentially season‑ending for him as he's had a bit of the bone taken away and we'll get some information now so we'll know a little bit more about that."

The full‑back joined Leigh from NRL side Newcastle Knights ahead of last season, but his elbow problems date back to his time in Australia. Lam explained that Hodgson previously had a plate and screws implanted, and a cut during a recent game three weeks ago led to the infection.

"It was one of those dangerous ones and a potential career‑ending sort of injury was the feedback from medical," Lam added. "It doesn't look good, they've had to go into his bone and get the majority of that out."