BEN Currie’s prospects of playing again this season have been “hampered” by another knee injury, Wolves head of coaching and rugby Tony Smith says.

The second rower went down holding his surgically-repaired left knee during the first half of Thursday’s 22-6 victory over Widnes Vikings.

Currie completed the half but did not return after the break, prompting speculation he had aggravated the injury that had kept him out for 10 months.

Smith had initially been optimistic on the 23-year-old’s fitness for the Middle 8s and beyond, but admitted things are worse than expected “It’s too early to say whether he’ll play again this season, but his prospects have certainly been hampered,” he said.

“He’s done some more damage but he hasn’t ruptured the graft from the operation he had, which is good.

“There are things going on with his ligaments but he won’t have to ‘start again’ as such.

“We can certainly rule him out of the next couple of games, that’s for sure.”

In better injury news, Smith confirmed skipper Chris Hill will be available for the first Middle 8s game, which is also against the Vikings on Friday, August 4.

Hill sat out the final Super League regular rounds game as a precaution after picking up a hamstring injury in training.

The fixtures for the next phase of the season were released yesterday, Wednesday, and The Wire’s trip to the Select Security Stadium is followed by a home game against Catalans Dragons on August 12.

Smith accepts the “impact of the unknown” is reduced slightly by facing two familiar sides first up but is adamant they will be “fully prepared” for games against Championship sides London Broncos, Featherstone Rovers and Hull Kingston Rovers as well.

He also played down the notion that Wolves will be “the prize scalp” of the Middle 8s.

“Obviously, Widnes Vikings and Catalans Dragons are opponents we know plenty about, particularly Widnes,” he said.

“We’ve had a chance to watch the Championship teams and we’ll have more chances to do so before we come to play them.

“That information is readily available to us and we’ll be fully prepared for when they challenge us.

“We cannot look too far ahead, though. We can only take it one game at a time.

“Our first game is against Widnes and we have to be fully focused on that.”

“All the teams will be trying to beat each other. I don’t see there being a notion of a prize scalp.

“Everyone will just be concentrating on beating what’s in front of them, whether that’s us or any of the other seven teams involved.”