South Sydney have confirmed a triple injury blow following Thursday’s loss to Penrith with Dean Hawkins and Jye Gray joining skipper Cameron Murray for a lengthy stint on the sideline.
Halfback Dean Hawkins will miss the next 12 weeks after injuring his quadricep from a kick off in Round 9.
The Rabbitohs also confirmed on Monday that rookie fullback Gray suffered a syndesmosis injury and will miss the next 8-10 weeks following surgery.
Murray, meanwhile, has been ruled out of the NSW team for the opening State of Origin match on June 5 at Accor Stadium with a hip flexor injury.
The star lock is looking at a 6-8 week return to play window after suffering a hip flexor injury on Thursday night.
“Cameron Murray, didn’t report anything after the game other than a tight hip, but following scans he has sustained a hip flexor injury, which has got some tendon involvement,” Head of Performance Andrew Croll said.
In better news for the club, Jacob Gagai (calf) and Alex Johnston (hamstring) are expected to return to the side over the next 1-2 weeks.
The Rabbitohs have called in Gehamat Shibasaki to their NRL squad from Townsville Blackhawks on a week-to-week basis to help cover the club’s current injury toll.
The Warriors were dealt a blow early into their loss to the Knights on Sunday with forward Kurt Capewell ruled out with a calf injury.
The 2024 recruit hobbled from the field in the 29th minute and was ruled out of the remainder of the match after succumbing to the calf complaint.
Storm fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen has suffered a small fracture to the fibula in the same ankle he injured during last year’s finals series.
Storm director of football Frank Ponissi confirmed on Sunday that the star No.1 would most likely require surgery and was facing 4-6 weeks on the sidelines.
Papenhuyzen suffered the injury as he chased Gold Coast’s AJ Brimson to force a goal line drop out and immediately grabbed at his right ankle
He was sent for scans immediately after the match and confirmed the injury was related to last year’s broken leg in an Instagram post.
“Thanks for the love. Little fracture above the plate, be back soon,” Papenhuyzen wrote.
Papenhuyzen’s fullback replacement Sua Fa’alogo, who started the match on the wing, was also forced from the field before full-time with a knee problem.
