The Gold Coast Titans have confirmed that young gun winger Jojo Fifita will be out for at least the club's next two games, although the news is better than first feared.
It comes as scans for both Fifita and AJ Brimson were returned, with the star fullback, who played Game 3 of this year's State of Origin series in replacing the suspended Reece Walsh, named to play this weekend.
Brimson was feared to have suffered an oblique injury during Sunday's win over the North Queensland Cowboys which kept the Titans' barely flickering finals hopes alive.
The fullback was able to return for the second half of the game, taking the spot vacated by the injured Fifita in the centres, but was clearly less than 100 per cent.
Despite the short turnaround to this weekend's Round 23 clash with the New Zealand Warriors, the Titans have confirmed that Brimson has been named to play, and will have every intention of doing so. That said, he is likely to be racing the clock to get the injury right through the week.
The club also hinted that he may not play fullback, suggesting he could play "as he did in the second half against the Cowboys."
The news on Fifita is also positive given the ankle injury - feared to be a syndesmosis - could quite easily have ended his season with only five rounds to play.
Instead, the Titans have suggested he could be back as early as Round 25 with the injury less severe than first thought.
The club didn't rule out a longer sideline stint for Fifita, suggesting the high ankle sprain will need two weeks to recover and then "be monitored on a week-to-week basis to gain clearance to return to train and play."
It means the winger will miss games against the Warriors and Cronulla Sharks before being a chance to return against the Penrith Panthers, with the Titans to then finish their season with games against the Melbourne Storm and Canterbury Bulldogs in Rounds 26 and 27.
The Titans likely need to win all five of those games to have a chance of playing finals football.