St George Illawarra Dragons outside back Tyrell Sloan faces a spell on the sidelines after suffering a hamstring injury during the club's Round 18 victory over the Wests Tigers.
Sloan opened the scoring in the first half before pulling up with hamstring tightness around the 30th minute of the match.
He was unable to continue, forcing Dean Young to make a reshuffle.
The Dragons released an injury update on Wednesday, confirming Sloan will be out until Round 21.
The injury comes at a notable point, as Sloan has signed with the Castleford Tigers in the Super League on a two-year deal starting from the 2027 season.
He will be joining Dragons teammate Damien Cook, who will also head to the same Super League side and reunite with Ryan Carr, who was an assistant coach at the Dragons before becoming Castleford's head coach.
The 24-year-old has made 89 appearances for the Red V since his debut in 2021 and became a mainstay in the lineup in 2023.
He has transitioned from being the club's first-choice fullback to being an outside back and has even been demoted to the six-man bench this season, playing in just 10 games in 2026.
The Dragons have a bye this upcoming round, as the club looks to finish the season strong and determine their coach for 2027 and beyond.
They travel to play the New Zealand Warriors in Round 20, which the outside back will miss.
If Sloan is cleared to return in Round 21, he could make an appearance in Kogarah against the Gold Coast Titans.
Blake Lawrie (leg) and Kade Reed (finger) are also expected to have recovered from their injuries between rounds 20 and 22, which would give the Dragons a nice boost in their depth.
