The Newcastle Knights' hopes of making the top eight at the end of the 2023 NRL season have taken a major blow with an ACL injury sustained by star hooker Jayden Brailey.
The injury continues Brailey's wretched run with injuries, where he has had just one full season since joining the Knights ahead of the 2020 campaign.
In that time, he has now suffered two ACL injuries and an Achilles injury, leaving him with less than 40 games across his four seasons.
While Brailey, who injured his Achilles in the pre-season ahead of the 2021 season, had suitable back-up last time around in Chris Randall, that is no longer the case in 2023.
Randall has since shifted to the Gold Coast Titans, where he is currently starting with Sam Verrills out injured. In return, the Knights received winger Greg Marzhew from the Titans, and didn't make any play to increase their own dummy half depth.
That has left coach Adam O'Brien to rely on the duo of Phoenix Crossland and Kurt Mann to fill the role in Round 7 against the Penrith Panthers, and likely until they are able to make another signings with one of their remaining squad spots for the 2023 campaign.
While Crossland and Mann will likely do a serviceable job, neither are going to be the number nine Newcastle need if they want to hang onto their better than expected start to the new season and fight to play in the finals come September.
Granted, no option that might be immediately available will help either, but a genuine number nine with NRL experience will help their cause, and allow Mann and Crossland to continue playing in a utility role that they are far better suited to.
Here are the top five options for the Knights to be chasing in immediately replacing Brailey, noting that these players could either be on loan, or for a short-term contract.
Marschke has fallen right out of favour at the Sydney Roosters, sitting in the North Sydney Bears squad where he has made a strong start to the NSW Cup season.
At one point viewed alongside Freddy Lussick as a long-term back-up to Sam Verrills, the club have completely altered the structure of their number nine jersey.
Brandon Smith's arrival during the off-season left little doubt as to the number one option, while Jake Turpin arrived to play second fiddle.
That means Marschke is well down the pecking order, but does have 13 games of NRL experience for the tri-colours.
The Bundaberg-born 25-year-old never quite adapted to the NRL, but has made a solid start to the year at reserve grade level, getting through plenty of work defensively and running the ball well.
He wouldn't be Jayden Brailey, but he would certainly go some of the way towards helping fill the void left by his injury.
This is a long shot at best, and would likely need to be a loan only approved from the date of Danny Levi's departure, making it quite probably not an overly realistic option for the men from the Hunter.
But in terms of raw talent, he might be the best player on this list.
Woolford, who made his debut for the Raiders in the middle of the 2022 season, quickly became part of the starting team for Ricky Stuart, with Tom Starling reduced to a bench role.
That hasn't continued into the 2023 season though, with Woolford finding himself in reserve grade after the acquisition of Danny Levi, who took starting duties.
Levi is currently out injured and due back in about a month, but he could slot straight back into the side then, leaving Woolford on the outer again.
A short-term loan to cover the remainder of the season could suit both clubs.
Otukolo left the Warriors in surprising circumstances at the end of the 2022 campaign, giving up his NRL contract for an opportunity elsewhere.
Zero Tackle later learned that opportunity was a QLD Cup deal at the Dolphins, leaving him on the outer of an NRL squad, although possibly in the eyesight of Wayne Bennett.
Still just 20 years of age, Otukolo is yet to line up for the Dolphins or affiliate club the Central Queensland Capras in the QLD Cup this year, but has NRL experience under his belt and could line up as soon as next weekend when the QRL's under-21s colts competition gets underway.
Once viewed as the future of the number nine jersey at the Warriors, Otukolo quickly found himself sliding down the pecking order at the back end of last year following the arrival of Freddy Lussick from the Sydney Roosters.
Otukolo's desire to relocate to Australia will see him still chasing NRL opportunities, and he showed enough in his nine games to suggest he has what it takes to hang at NRL level.
Jayden Berrell was one of the best performers in the QLD Cup, but always struggled to land an NRL job until last year when the Cronulla Sharks took a gamble on him.
The now 27-year-old is still yet to make his NRL debut, but has been a key cog in the Newtown Jets' success over the last year and a bit, and has already added six try assists in five appearances this season at reserve grade level.
With Blayke Brailey playing 80 minutes per week, and Cameron McInnes able to slot in at hooker during a pinch, there is realistically no chance of Berrell being included in the NRL side anytime soon.
That said, the Knights should be ringing the phone off the hook to the Shire and asking for Berrell to join them immediately on a loan for the remainder of the season.
Berrell may not yet have NRL experience, but the former junior representative player is the best of the bunch without it.
Smoothy made the switch to the Brisbane Broncos' system this year, having struggled to find a breakthrough at the Melbourne Storm.
While he made his NRL debut in 2021 and played four games amongst major injury issues for the club, his 2022 season saw him back at the Sunshine Coast Falcons.
Named the QLD Cup's hooker of the year, he was then picked up by the Brisbane Broncos as a depth addition to the side.
However, he is currently stuck behind Cory Paix and Billy Walters, who split dummy half duties for the Broncos at NRL level, and if he hasn't already, will be surpassed by the future of Brisbane's number nine jersey in Blake Mozer.
Mozer is seen as the next Cameron Smith, and a player the Broncos will want to hand a debut to at some point this season.
That said, Smoothy is well out of calculations for Kevin Walters' squad at the present time, and at the very least a loan, if not an immediate move for good, makes the world of sense to both organisations in this instance.