The Gold Coast Titans are set to be without hooker Sam Verrills for months after it was confirmed the 23-year-old required surgery on a fractured collarbone.
Playing his 50th NRL game last weekend against St George Illawarra, what should've been a stellar milestone night was quickly soured not just by the 32-18 loss, but playing through a fractured collarbone.
Despite suffering the injury early on in the piece, Verrills crossed for his eighth career try in the first half, lasting until the 49th minute before he was eventually replaced by former Knights' hooker Chris Randall.
Randall played 69 minutes of the Titans' 38-34 win over the Melbourne Storm on Saturday, leaving the club thankful they traded Greg Marzhew for him in the off-season, although they still missed Verrills' spark out of dummy-half.
Initially deemed to spend a few weeks on the sidelines, scans revealed that the hooker required surgery on his collarbone, ruling out the rake for at least two months.
The former Rooster suffered a similar injury in Round 9 last season, funnily enough against the Gold Coast Titans, and sat on the sidelines for six weeks before returning to the NRL, although it appears this could be worse than last year's injury.
It's a vastly growing rehab group for the Gold Coast after losing Beau Fermor for the season to a knee injury while a torn pec at training has Jaimin Jolliffe out for at least four months.
Speedster Jojo Fifita will sit out six weeks of his own with a knee issue.
The Titans will travel to Townsville next weekend as they look to capitalise on an understrength and underperforming Cowboys' outfit, before earning a week off via the bye in Round 5.