Bulldogs second-rower Jacob Preston is set to be sidelined for six weeks following confirmation of a jaw fracture suffered in the Round 4 loss to the Rabbitohs.
While attempting to make a tackle early in the second half, Preston clashed heads with Rabbitohs prop Shaquai Mitchell and left the field for a head injury assessment which he passed, enabling him to return to the field for the remainder of the game.
Post-match the extent of his injury was revealed, with the Bulldogs also set to be without winger Josh Addo-Carr in Round 5 after he failed a HIA.
Shaquai Mitchell later failed a HIA of his own and is likely to be ruled out of his side’s upcoming clash with the Warriors, alongside Alex Johnston who didn’t finish the win over the Bulldogs due to a hamstring injury.
The Warriors meanwhile are expected to be without Luke Metcalf for an extended period after the five-eighth was taken to hospital for scans on Sunday following what coach Andrew Webster said was a “possible fracture” of his ankle.
Raiders forward Zac Hosking was ruled out of his side’s clash with the Sharks after failing a head injury assessment early in the second half, which came after forward leader Elliott Whitehead withdrew from the game due to a calf injury.
The Knights were without Dane Gagai for their trip to Auckland due to what the club described as a “medical condition.”
Eels coach Brad Arthur confirmed on Sunday that Mitch Moses had been through surgery on his fractured foot and was looking at “8-10 weeks on the sideline”.
“We’ll wait and see how it goes when he gets some weight on his foot but I know Mitchell, he’ll be looking to get back ahead of schedule,” Arthur said.
Back-rower Bryce Cartwright also missed the Easter Monday clash with the Wests Tigers with a rib injury, after he failed to get through contact work late in the week.
Representative prop Lindsay Collins missed the Roosters’ Thursday night showdown with the premiers after picking up a hamstring injury the week prior and is joined in the rehab room by Sandon Smith (elbow) and Billy Smith (ankle).
Panthers superstar Nathan Cleary is eyeing a Round 7 return from the hamstring injury he picked up in Round 3, while teammate Scott Sorensen has an MCL injury which will sideline him for at least a couple of weeks.
The Sharks will be without prop Royce Hunt for a month due to a calf injury, while fellow middle forwards Dale Finucane (facial injury) and Toby Rudolf (ankle) are both expected to be out until at least Round 6.
In addition to the loss of Reece Walsh for 4-6 weeks due to a facial fracture, the Broncos will be without back-rower Brendan Piakura for a month after he sprained his ankle injury at training on Tuesday.
Cameron Munster (groin), Joe Chan (hand infection), Reimis Smith (rib), Christian Welch (concussion) and Nelson Asofa-Solomona (hamstring) are all expected to be available for selection following the Storm’s Round 4 bye, with Sua Fa’alogo (ankle) likely to be available in Round 6.
