Wakefield Wildcats: Jones-Bishop ruled out for the rest of the year

SHOULDER INJURY victim Ben Jones-Bishop says he is unlikely to play for Wakefield Trinity Wildcats again this year.
Ben Jones-BishopBen Jones-Bishop
Ben Jones-Bishop

The former Leeds Rhinos man returned in the 56-12 Ladbrokes Challenge Cup semi-final defeat by Warrington Wolves three days ago.

But he admitted he wasn’t fully fit and will need surgery after suffering a recurrence of his shoulder problem late in the game.

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Wildcats were without eight senior players due to injury and both Jones-Bishop and captain Danny Kirmond were pressed into action after a long lay-off.

“My shoulder went again in the second half,” Jones-Bishop confirmed. “We’ll have to get it sorted out in the next couple of weeks, but I think that is me finished for the season now. I need an operation, but luckily for us we are in the top-eight so hopefully I can get it done and be back for pre-season.”

The injury is the latest setback for Jones-Bishop, who suffered a fractured skull during a loan spell at London and had long spells on the sidelines due to a blood clot and then a serious knee injury while with Leeds.

He said: “It is tough, it always seems to happen to me! That’s the way it is, but that’s part of the game. I have enough experience now to deal with it and I will be back and ready to go.”

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Warrington are now preparing for a Wembley date with Hull, but Jones-Bishop reckons it has also been a positive year for Wakefield.

Eighth place at the end of the regular season means they have already secured their Super League place for 2017 and the winger said: “I wasn’t here last year, but I went through the middle-8s with Salford so I know the pressure.

“Although we were very disappointed [after the semi-final], with where we have come from and what we have achieved, I think we are massively proud of ourselves. We have worked hard as a group to get where we are and we will enjoy the Super-8s.”

Jones-Bishop reckons Wildcats will be better for their semi-final experience, despite the result. He added: “It is a big game and you never know when they will come round again. It has been a while for me. Fortunately I have played in a couple and a couple of finals, but it was the first game on a big stage for a lot of the boys and they will reap the rewards. Some people had to put their hand up in worse shape than me to play, which just shows the togetherness we’ve got as a team.”

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Jones-Bishop rushed home from the game to be with his wife Eva, who went into labour during the match and gave birth to their daughter, Tahlia, the following day.

But the winger had to be quick on his toes, as his departure from Leigh was held up by a routine after-match drugs test.