Wade Graham will miss between four and six weeks after a syndesmosis injury was confirmed by the Cronulla Sharks.
Graham was taken from the field during the first half of Monday evening's trial against the Canterbury Bulldogs after his ankle appeared to turn outwards in a tackle.
He had a noticeable limp as he was being assisted from the field by the training staff for Cronulla, before being pictured during the second half following his return to the bench from the dressing rooms in a moonboot.
He went for scans on Tuesday morning, with the club releasing a statement on Wednesday morning to confirm the extent of the injury, and that Graham will miss a minimum of four weeks as he recovers, however, it likely could be longer.
The statement also confirmed he will have surgery on the ankle.
"Wade Graham is set to miss the opening rounds of the 2022 NRL season after scans revealed the extent of an ankle injury suffered in the Sharks trial match against the Bulldogs," the statement read.
"The Sharks skipper limped from the field after making a tackle in the first half of his team's trial win, with Graham suffering a syndesmosis injury to his left ankle.
"Graham is scheduled to visit a specialist this week with surgery to follow. He is expected to be sidelined for around six weeks."
Graham will join Cam McInnes and Jack Williams on the sidelines to start the season, with all three missing the opening weeks in a blow to Cronulla's forward depth.
The club have however confirmed that Matt Moylan, Toby Rudolf, Siosifa Talakai and Aiden Tolman will all be available for Round 1 after missing the trial victory over the Bulldogs.
