Round 3 has left a bruising trail across the NRL, with several clubs sweating on scan results after a weekend of carnage that saw frontline stars from the Sharks, Tigers, Storm, Warriors and Roosters head for the casualty ward.
Cronulla's win over South Sydney came at a cost, with Braden Hamlin-Uele suffering what's believed to be a medial ligament injury and Siosifa Talakai rolling his ankle following a hip-drop tackle from Rabbitohs fullback Jye Gray.
Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon confirmed both injuries post-match but said final diagnoses were pending.
โI'm not sure what happened to Braden, but we thought it was a medial,โ Fitzgibbon said.
โI'm not sure of the severity. With Sifa, it's obviously his ankle, but again, I'm not too sure of the severity.โ
The Wests Tigers also lost key men during their impressive 30-18 win over the Dolphins, with winger Jeral Skelton succumbing to a hamstring issue shortly after halftime.
Promising young forward Samuela Fainu also hobbled off, forcing coach Benji Marshall to navigate the final quarter of the match with just two available interchange players.
Over in Melbourne, Jahrome Hughes is set to miss at least a fortnight after it was revealed he played through a broken hand in the Storm's loss to Penrith.
The star half will undergo surgery this week.
Meanwhile, fullback Nick Meaney is facing a longer stint on the sideline after suffering a facial fracture, with initial estimates suggesting a four-to-six week absence.
To compound matters, Nelson Asofa-Solomona failed a post-match HIA and has entered the mandatory 11-day concussion protocol, while Grant Anderson avoided structural knee damage but remains in doubt for Round 4.
The Warriors are also managing hamstring concerns after Roger Tuivasa-Sheck failed to finish Friday's clash against the Roosters, limping from the field after 55 minutes.
And the Roosters didn't escape unscathed either, with utility Connor Watson ruled out at halftime after failing a head injury assessment.
