GREAT BRITAIN hopeful Stephen Wild has suffered major injury heartache.

The Giants back row was due to fly out to Australia on Monday as part of the Lions' stand-by squad.

He was expected to play in the tourists' trial clash against Newcastle Knights, hoping to claim a place in the final Tri-Nations squad.

Instead, the 25-year-old has this week undergone an operation to have a broken thumb pinned, immediately ruling him out of all this Autumn's representative fixtures.

"It's an absolutely massive blow for Stephen," revealed Giants coach and Great Britain assistant Jon Sharp.

"At the start of the week he was expecting to travel with us to Australia.

"But now he is at home reflecting on what might been.

"He's obviously bitterly disappointed, although I don't think it's really sunk in yet.

"He actually suffered the injury in the final game of the season against Bradford.

"Initially X-rays didn't show up a break, and we all thought the pain would go.

"Unfortunately, it didn't, he went in for another X-ray earlier in the week and our worst fears were confirmed.

"There was no chance of him playing with the injury, that would have made it worse and caused him more problems further down the line.

"In the end, he was left with no choice."