South Sydney Rabbitohs halfback Lachlan Ilias has broken his leg during Saturday afternoon's reserve grade clash with the New Zealand Warriors.
Ilias, who was dropped by first-grade coach Jason Demetriou in recent weeks, has been fighting through the South Sydney second side in an attempt to win his place back in the NRL.
But that now won't happen anytime soon, with scans confirm Ilias has a broken leg after being hit dangerously after kicking by Freddy Lussick.
The Warriors' back-up dummy half, playing reserve grade against South Sydney, appeared to hit Ilias' leg a split second after the kick left his boot, with Ilias' leg then snapping back behind his body.
Lussick was sent off for the incident.
Fox Sports reported after the game that South Sydney had confirmed the injury is a "serious leg injury" but will need scans to confirm any likely return timeline.
Those scans have now been returned, with News Corp confirming a broken tibia that could well end his season.
It's understood Ilias will miss as much as six months with the injury, leaving him unlikely to be able to return to training before the start of the 2025 pre-season.
The report suggests that a perfect recovery could see Ilias return in August, with the potential of being able to play a handful of games at the end of the season.
The injury to Ilias likely means Dean Hawkins will hold the number seven jersey in first grade over the coming weeks, although could open the door for Jack Wighton to move into the halves in a new-look combination with Cody Walker if there is no significant uptick in the Rabbitohs' form.