Berwick Jewson Bandits’ skipper Rory Schlein has suffered a fractured neck vertebrae and broken scapula and is out for the rest of the season.
The 39-year-old Australian crashed out of Berwick’s 62-28 defeat at Scunthorpe Scorpions on Friday and spent the weekend undergoing tests in hospital. They confirmed the season-ending injuries.
It is a huge blow to Schlein who was in fine form for the Borders’ side and had been looking forward to competing in Saturday’s British Final in Manchester.
He is the second big-scoring Bandit to crash out in the space of a fortnight following the leg and chest injuries suffered by Bastian Borke at Poole Pirates.
Berwick’s bosses must now decide how best to cover Schlein’s absence as they are still within touching distance of a top four place but cannot afford to drop many more points from the remaining part of the season.
Poole rider Zach Cook comes in as a guest for Schlein at Plymouth Gladiators in the Cab Direct Championship on Tuesday.
Cook began his British career at The Coliseum in 2021 and will be joined by another ex-Gladiator, Paul Starke, while the battered Bandits also employ rider-replacement for Jye Etheridge. He has not recovered from his two crashes at Shielfield against the Scorpions.
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