The Manly Sea Eagles will need to find yet another replacement in the forwards, with news Matt Lodge is expected to miss an extended stint.
It's believed the club suspect Lodge has suffered a torn bicep.
Should the injury be confirmed as per an NRL.com report, Lodge will need to undergo surgery. Typically, the return timeline for such an injury is months rather than weeks, and it could be all but the end of the season for the ex-Tiger, Bronco, Warrior and Rooster.
Lodge, who has been a solid performer in recent weeks for the Sea Eagles, missed the opening weeks of the NRL season as he recovered from an ACL injury that was picked up late in the 2023 campaign.
The forward, who returned to the NRL in Round 7 off the bench against the Titans, has spent the last four games coming off the bench, averaging almost 100 metres per contest.
It will mean the 28-year-old, should his season be forcibly drawn to a close by the injury, will have played just five NRL games in over 18 months by the time the 2025 season commences. Lodge is off-contract at the end of the 2024 campaign, having been handed a one-year extension by the Northern Beaches-based club while he was recovering from his knee injury.
It's unclear at this stage if the club would be willing to extend his contract again during a lengthy recovery.
