The South Sydney Rabbitohs have confirmed Alex Johnston has ruptured his Achilles and will miss the remainder of the 2024 NRL season.
The veteran winger was taken from the field in the 16th minute during Sunday evening's game against the Canberra Raiders with what looked to be a devastating leg injury.
That has now been confirmed, with Johnston needing a recovery period of between six and nine months ahead.
One of the toughest injuries to rehabilitate from in the game, there have been numerous examples of players being unable to find their previous levels following the injury.
The Rabbitohs will be sweating on Johnston getting back to his best ahead of the arrival of new coach Wayne Bennett next year, although at this stage, there is no guarantee he will be available for Round 1 of the 2025 NRL season.
Elsewhere, South Sydney have confirmed Latrell Mitchell will still need another four weeks in a moon boot, tempering expectations from reports last week that he could return as soon as Round 24.
The club haven't ruled his season as over despite the fact finals chances have all but evaporated, but it appears unlikely Mitchell will be able to play more than a game or two at the back-end of the regular season.
The star fullback injured his foot during a clash against the Parramatta Eels directly after Origin 2, with the injury also ruling him out of the Origin decider.
Tyrone Munro has also been confirmed as a chance of returning for the decimated Rabbitohs prior to the end of the season as he continues to work his way back from a broken collarbone.
The Maroubra-based outfit have confirmed all of Dean Hawkins (quad), Jai Arrow (shoulder), Junior Tatola (foot), Isaiah Tass (ankle), Campbell Graham (shoulder), Ben Lovett (knee) and Lachlan Ilias (leg) are all done for the season.
Arrow, who has surgery last week, has been confirmed as a chance to start the 2025 pre-season with the rest of his team after successful surgery last week.
In better news, Shaquai Mitchell returned from a calf injury through reserve grade last week and managed 39 minutes of game time against the Raiders.
South Sydney have won just seven games this year, and would likely need to win all six of their remaining fixtures (against the Cronulla Sharks, Melbourne Storm, Wests Tigers, Newcastle Knights, Penrith Panthers and Sydney Roosters) to have a chance of qualifying for the finals.