Gold Coast Titans coach Des Hasler faces a significant conundrum for Magic Round after four players left the field injured, adding to their injury crisis.
Taking home the two points on Sunday against the North Queensland Cowboys, the quartet of AJ Brimson, Harley Smith-Shields, Kieran Foran and Phillip Sami all exited the game with injuries.
Veteran playmaker Kieran Foran and outside back Phillip Sami both departed the game with hamstring injuries, while fullback AJ Brimson soon followed them into the sheds with a groin injury with ten minutes remaining in the match.
The loss of Brimson and Foran will add to Des Hasler's halves woes, as Jayden Campbell (knee) and Tanah Boyd (wrist) are still on the casualty ward and could also miss this week's game.
"We've now got five halves sitting on the sidelines. We've got Brad Davis and Michael Monaghan (on the coaching staff) so we might drag them out of retirement," Hasler said viaย AAP.
The Titans' roster losses kept coming after Des Hasler confirmed after the match that outside back Harley Smith-Shields would not play again this season.
According toย NRL Physio, Smith-Shields sustained a pectoral rupture and will miss between 10-14 weeks, continuing his horror run of injuries throughout his career.
Harley Smith-Shields has suffered a suspected pectoral rupture according to the Titans - unfortunately hands on testing very accurate here.
If scans confirm usually a 10-14 week return to play in the NRL. Feel for HSS who has had a rotten run with injury so far in his career. pic.twitter.com/ZdgaiYPMJT
— NRL PHYSIO (@nrlphysio) May 12, 2024