The Canberra Raiders have been rocked by a triple injury blow, headlined by a likely season ending blow for Albert Hopoate.
The outside back, who can play either centre, wing or fullback, has been on the outside looking in over the opening weeks of the season, losing the wing spot he had cemented last season to off-season recruit Savelio Tamale, who joined the club from the St George Illawarra Dragons.
Tamale's form had left Hopoate in the NSW Cup over the weekend where he sustained a suspected ACL injury.
Scans have yet to be completed, but the hands-on tests for ACL injuries are usually very precise. As a result, Hopoate is expected to need surgery on his knee, which will leave him looking at a recovery time of between nine and twelve months.
Even at the outside end of that, the outside back should be fit for the opening round of next season in the only fleeting positive that can be found.
The Raiders also had young halfback Ethan Sanders and forward Jordan Martin suffer injuries throughout their NSW Cup games.
Sanders needs a scan for an eye socket injury, but regardless, he will likely need some time on the sidelines.
Martin has suffered a hand fracture and will need to determine if he requires surgery prior to making an estimate on his return to play.
If he does not require surgery, he could be back in a handful of weeks in the same way Jahrome Hughes is currently recovering for the Melbourne Storm, but if he does, the layoff will be far longer.
