Brisbane Broncos fullback Tesi Niu will spend up to four months on the sideline after suffering a hamstring injury during Friday night's loss to the Penrith Panthers.
A loss which would ultimately get ugly as Brisbane went down by 40 points to 12 after only trailing 12 points to 6 at halftime saw Niu play just 34 minutes.
In attempting to stop a try for Penrith interchange second rower Scott Sorensen, Niu pulled up on his run and was assisted from the field shortly afterwards by Brisbane trainers and medical staff.
The non-contact injury immediately brought concern for the hamstring, knee and Achilles, with a club medical update confirming Niu has suffered a Grade 3 hamstring strain.
Broncos head of performance Dave Ballard said Niu will consult a specialist this week, with Niu set for ten weeks out if he doesn't need surgery, and up to four months if he does need surgery.
โTesi will see the specialist later this week to determine if he will require any surgery, and we will move forward from there," Ballard said in a club statement.
โWe are looking at a recovery period of at least 10 weeks without an operation, and up to four months if surgery is required.
โTesi is second-to-none in terms of his commitment to preparation and rehab, and we will provide him all the support he needs as he works his way back to full fitness.โ
It's likely Selwyn Cobbo will take over at fullback while Niu is on the sideline. Jamayne Isaako played the role during the opening weeks of the season while Niu recovered from an off-season injury, however, the more experienced Isaako is now on the Gold Coast after a sudden switch to the Gold Coast Titans.
Cobbo is touted as an option to become Brisbane's long-term fullback, and so Kevin Walters may bite the bullet for their upcoming clash with the Canterbury Bulldogs. Brisbane then play the Cronulla Sharks, South Sydney Rabbitohs and Manly Sea Eagles in what could prove a tough initiation for Cobbo if he does move to number one.
Should Cobbo play at fullback, Brenko Lee, Jordan Pereira, Delouise Hoeter and young development player Ethan Quai-Ward could all come into contention for a spot on the wing.
Kevin Walters will name his replacement at 4pm (AEDT) on Tuesday when teams are confirmed, with their clash against Canterbury to be played on Friday evening in Brisbane.
