Dolphins' head coach Wayne Bennett has confirmed he is unsure on the extent of Jesse Bromwich's injury.
The veteran forward, who will hang up the boots at the end of the 2024 NRL season, was taken from the field after just four minutes of Saturday night's game against the Canberra Raiders.
While the match eventually turned into a golden point loss against the Raiders, concern was shown for Bromwich who appeared to have an issue with his pectoral muscle.
Attempting to offload out of a tackle, Bromwich was driven into the ground by Raiders' lock Morgan Smithies with Bromwich then clutching at his arm before being taken from the field.
It led to some to suggest Bromwich's career may be over, with a recovery time of three months to a significant pectoral muscle injury meaning he wouldn't return before the end of the season.
It was eventually revealed the injury was more likely to be a rib problem, but Bennett said he was unsure.
“We're just not sure whether he's hurt his chest. We're not sure how bad it is or what's going on there,” Bennett said during the post-game press conference.
‘I don't know, the doctors aren't sure. We'll get scans.”
Bromwich being out for any length of time will sting the Dolphins, with the club already facing injury issues in the forwards.
Queensland State of Origin level players Thomas Flegler and Tom Gilbert are both out, with Gilbert's season over on the back of an ACL injury, while Flegler's timeline for a return is unclear as he battles a nerve problem in his shoulder.
Bromwich being out could see Josh Kerr come into the starting side, while Oryn Keeley may be the player added to the interchange bench, although Bennett does have other options.
The Dolphins have the bye next weekend before clashing with the Cronulla Sharks in the opening game of Round 15.