POOLE Pirates asset Darcy Ward is due to undergo further tests in a bid to find out the extent of his spinal injury.

At the wishes of Ward's family, few details of the Aussie's injuries have been released publicly since he crashed in Poland last month.

The 23-year-old is set for further X-rays and scans and Pirates team boss Neil Middleditch admitted Ward faced "a waiting game".

Middleditch said: “He has got the best possible care at the moment but it is still early days. We need to let the swelling and bruising settle down until we can get a proper prognosis.

“We know he is going to be having more tests this week, or next week, so, hopefully, we’ll know a bit more then. But at the moment it is just a waiting game.

“It is going to be some more X-rays and scans and then we can see where we can move from there with his medical care.”

Ward answered several fans' questions on Twitter yesterday, tipping Pirates for the Elite League title and admitting he had been due to take the wild card for the Australian Grand Prix.

The Queenslander, who had been on loan to Swindon at the time of his accident, also admitted that "every day is hard".

Middleditch added: “It is difficult for him to be upbeat in a situation like this because nobody knows the extent of his injuries.

“Even the doctors are saying, ‘I can’t tell you what the future holds for you Darcy, because I would be a liar if I did’.

“Each individual is different. I have spoken to many riders who have had serious injuries since Darcy’s accident and they have all got different stories to tell, so we pray and hope for the best for Darcy.”

Middleditch was speaking to the Swindon Advertiser.