Crocked Bulls ace Chris Feather knew he was in trouble - when he saw his foot staring back at him the wrong way around.

The rangy prop forward is recovering in hospital having undergone surgery yesterday to repair his broken and dislocated left ankle.

The horror injury happened early in the second half of Sunday's Carnegie Challenge Cup clash at Wakefield after Feather and David Solomona performed a joint tackle.

"I just couldn't get up afterwards," he recalled.

"I tried but I looked at my foot and it was pointing in the other direction.

"I couldn't believe it. It was a massive dislocation."

There were fears Feather would miss the rest of the season but the former Leeds forward revealed he could return by the end of August.

"I'm hoping to be back before the end," he said.

"I've been told 12 to 14 weeks so we'll see. There's two pins in one side of the ankle and a plate in the other.

"Hopefully after six weeks I'll be able to put partial weight on it and we'll take it from there."

Feather, 25, was left cursing his luck having just shaken off a painful back injury that had kept him out for the last three games.

"I'd been going alright, then got the back problem but had finally returned from that and then this happens," he said.

"It is a real nightmare and the worst injury I've had but I've got to stay positive.

"All the lads have been to see me, they've been great. I've seen how Andy Lynch has come back from a similar injury. He's come back better than ever and hopefully I can do the same."