GARETH Hock is waiting to see a specialist to find out whether or not he will need surgery on a tear in his shoulder.

The former England international forward suffered the injury while taking part in Barrow Raiders’ charity boxing night just before Christmas and has since been for a scan to determine the severity of the tear.

The results have now come back, but Raiders head coach Paul Crarey is waiting for Hock to visit a specialist in Preston before trying to determine what comes next.

“I think he’s got a little tear in his shoulder, so it depends what they suggest for that tear,” said Crarey.

“We don’t know until he’s seen that specialist, so I’m not even going to second guess about what’s going to happen.

“He might need an operation, he might not, but these things happen and we’ve got to deal with them.

“If he’s out for a while, it’s a major blow to us, if not then it’s all well and good, but we’re not going second-guess anything.”

Martin Aspinwall and Ryan Duffy have been suffering with a virus too, while Brett Carter is sidelined with a non-rugby-related ankle injury.

It means the Papua New Guinean trio of Stargroth Amean, Willie Minoga and Wartovo Puara Jr could play some part in the pre-season game against Oldham a week tomorrow, which comes just two days after they arrive in the UK.

“They might want to play and I’m going to speak to them about it,” said Crarey. “With the little pulls and injuries we’ve got, they might want a run-out.

“If they want 15 minutes to have a bit of a feel of the British weather then they’re more than welcome to do that.”