The St George Illawarra Dragons may be forced to play Sunday's enormous clash against the Penrith Panthers without fullback Tyrell Sloan.
News Corp are reporting Sloan has a hamstring issue, and while it isn't believed to be serious, he is no guarantee to take his spot alongside his teammates in Wollongong on Sunday.
The young gun fullback will be given until about 24 hours prior to kick-off - likely the club's captain's run on Saturday morning - to prove his fitness, with the club still hopeful he will be able to play.
Coach Shane Flanagan confirmed Mat Feagai, who was named as part of the 21-man squad on Tuesday afternoon for the game, will play fullback if Sloan is ruled out. That means there is no chance of Zac Lomax being moved to the back following his staring role on the wing in the New South Wales Blues State of Origin series victory.
โI will give Tyrell until Friday, or maybe Saturday, to prove his fitness,โ Flanagan said per the publication.
โHe has a tweak in his hamstring.
โSoft tissue injuries are hard to overcome. In his job at fullback, he has to be able to run fast and often.
โMatt was named in our 21-man squad so he would come in. He always does a good job when in first grade. But I won't be moving Lomax.โ
Despite coming into the season without a guarantee of holding onto his number one jumper after having a mixed 2023 campaign, Sloan has been one of the big improvers under new coach Shane Flanagan.
Playing all 17 games, Sloan has scored nine tries and averaged 100 metres per game, although questions have still lingered around his defence.
The Dragons are in the mix to play finals football, but need to win at least three of their final seven games on a difficult run home which features a trip to Melbourne, and games against the Canterbury Bulldogs, Gold Coast Titans, Cronulla Sharks, Parramatta Eels and Canberra Raiders following this weekend's clash with the Panthers.
Coming off a bye, the Red V recorded a critical win over the Brisbane Broncos in their last clash without any Origin players during Round 19.
