Gold Coast Titans head coach has revealed better than expected news on Jayden Campbell, and confirmed David Fifita won't be back within the next month.
Both Fifita and Campbell were late withdrawals from the Titans loss to the Canberra Raiders on Sunday afternoon at home, with Campbell understood to have suffered a syndesmosis injury at training, and Fifita battling a hamstring complaint.
Syndesmosis injuries can keep players out for up to three months should they require surgery, but Hasler said it appears as if Campbell will avoid going under the knife, and instead will be back far sooner.
"We had a bit of good news on JC [Jayden Campbell], so we don't think he will need an operation, but he will still probably be four or five weeks to get over that," Hasler said.
Fifita, meanwhile, is also expected to miss a month with a hamstring injury, although Hasler suggested that was the 'initial diagnosis', potentially leaving some room for a changed return timeline.
The Titans also have Alofiana Khan-Pereira (who is due back next week), Keano Kini (who has an unclear return timeline) and Kieran Foran in the casualty ward.
Foran is recovering from surgery, and estimates have put his return at Round 9, but Hasler said the club will not rush him back.
"His type of injury, he had surgery, so at the end of the day, we will talk to surgeons. It's the sort of injury where we don't want to rush, definitely not seven weeks into a season. We don't want to re-injure him," Hasler said on his New Zealand veteran half.
The Titans are now sitting with a two and four record from six games and hit the road in the coming weeks to play the North Queensland Cowboys in Townsville, the Canterbury Bulldogs at Magic Round, the Newcastle Knights in the Hunter and Canberra Raiders in the nation's capital before having a bye in Round 12.
