Injured Newcastle Eagles players Darius Defoe and Will Neighbour both missed last night’s final Super League Basketball (SLB) Trophy group game against Manchester and the club can issue the following update to fans.

Defoe, who played limited minutes in the Eagles’ crucial win against Sheffield Sharks that put them through to the SLB Trophy Semi-Finals, has suffered an achilles injury.

The Eagles captain is expected to make a full recovery, but will be out of action for a few weeks as our medical team work on his rehabilitation.

Meanwhile, forward Will Neighbour, who has been out of the line-up for a couple of weeks, is progressing well and club officials are hopeful of his return in the not so distant future.

The club can also confirm it is actively looking at options to bolster Marc Steutel’s roster.