The New Zealand Warriors have confirmed five-eighth Luke Metcalf has undergone surgery for a broken leg.
Metcalf, who won the race to partner Shaun Johnson in the Warriors' halves at the start of the season ahead of the likes of Te Maire Martin and Chanel Harris-Tavita, now is unlikely to play again this season as he recovers from the injury sustained during a Round 4 Easter Sunday win over the Newcastle Knights in Auckland.
In a statement, the Warriors confirmed Metcalf has a broken tibia, and they expect he will make a late-season return.
When that means exactly remains up in the air, but pending on recovery, it could appear likely he won't make any further appearances throughout the course of the 2024 season.
The injury is a devastating blow for Metcalf, who has missed plenty of time previously with injury, including during the 2023 season with a hamstring problem which saw him fly to the United States of America for specialist treatment.
Metcalf has been excellent for the Warriors to start 2024, with the club holding a two and two record from their first four matches.
The pressure of his number six jersey however now heads onto the shoulders of Te Maire Martin, who will partner Johnson moving forward, but will still need to perform strongly to ensure he holds his spot ahead of Chanel Harris-Tavita, who to this stage has played three games off the bench at NRL level, but is only amongst the reserves for this weekend's clash against the South Sydney Rabbitohs.