JOE Bullock looks to have played his last game for Barrow Raiders after the club confirmed he has suffered a broken jaw that is expected to keep him out for up to eight weeks.

The prop, who will join Super League side Wigan Warriors on a three-year contract at the end of the season, sustained the injury fewer than 50 seconds into Raiders' 17-10 victory over Rochdale Hornets on Sunday, after being caught with a stray boot.

Bullock returned to the field in the first half before leaving the match permanently late on. He was taken to hospital after the game, where the extent of the injury was confirmed.

He is due to undergo surgery on it today and the recovery time will likely see him miss the remainder of the Betfred Championship Shield Super Eights.

“Every time he went into contact, he felt as though his jaw was loose,” said Raiders head coach Paul Crarey.

“We left him out there and at the back end we pulled him, and we didn't put him back on even though we wanted to because we felt he would have done well out there. We sent him up to the hospital and it's a big, big worry.

"He'll be a big miss if he's not available for the remainder of the campaign.”

Bullock's absence means Mendy Saidty is set to come back into the Barrow side for this Sunday's trip to Leigh Centurions, with the French prop being rested for the visit of Rochdale, along with fellow Catalans Dragons loanee Georgy Gambaro.

Arnaud Bartes did feature though and put in another impressive, all-action performance playing at loose forward rather than his usual position in the front row.

And although the language barrier has proved tough to overcome at times, Crarey is delighted with how all three of Barrow's cross-Channel signings have settled into life at Craven Park.

“He was outstanding,” said Crarey, of Bartes. “He's a little bit loose, Arnaud, and he doesn't understand a word of English; we had a 20-minute conversation on Saturday where he was saying 'soup' to me and after 20 minutes I worked out it meant support.

“It's been hard, but all three are great kids. I named the team on Saturday morning and they (Saidty and Gambaro) came with their gear and thought they were playing, and I had to tell them again on Sunday they weren't playing, which was a bit awkward.

“But they'll play against Leigh and we'll rotate them. They're great kids and they've bought into the culture of what we do. There is a little bit of cheekiness in them, but they're producing the goods.”