Fears that Raiders centre Jarrod Croker could be forced to medically retire have begun to arise, with the Canberra great likely to see his 2022 campaign draw after dislocating his shoulder.
The Raiders confirmed on Wednesday that Croker would miss this weekend's clash with Parramatta after re-injuring his shoulder.
A hindered shoulder has limited Croker's ability to hit the track for the Green Machine across the twilight years of his career, having played just 13 games since the start of last year.
The club's Round 9 win over Canterbury was Croker's first and only appearance this season, with the Goulburn native expected to face a lengthy spell on the sidelines should he require surgery.
Speaking onย Triple Mย this week, reporter David Riccio revealed that Croker suffered his latest setback at home when reaching for a TV remote.
"This is disappointing news for one of their greats, Jarrod Croker," Riccio said.
"Can you believe it guys, he dislocated his shoulder while reaching for his television remote at home
"I understand he was sitting on the ground and he reached back for the remote and out came the shoulder."
Riccio drew attention to the recent shoulder injury that will place Manly star Tom Trbojevic on the sidelines for the next five months, with a similar fate potentially falling on Croker.
Should the Raiders veteran be required to go under the knife, the 31-year-old's decorated campaign in green could come to an abrupt end through medical retirement.
"He's been getting rehab and treatment and getting through games. Unfortunately now... it starts to head down that path of medical retirement," Riccio added.
"He needs to go for scans. A dislocated shoulder is exactly what we saw from Tom Trbojevic. If there is enough damage inside that shoulder with Croker that requires surgery, that's the end of his season.
"At his age, and given the amount of injuries this poor bloke's been through, it would be a serious discussion whether we've seen the last of Jarrod Croker in the green for the Raiders.
"It would be a very, very disappointing end for a champion bloke and a champion player."
Croker has played 292 games for Canberra - the second most in club history - after making his debut in 2009.