The St George Illawarra Dragons fullback Clint Gutherson has been ruled out of the Red V's clash against the Wests Tigers on Sunday.
The Sydney Morning Herald is reporting Gutherson has failed to overcome a niggling knee injury which he has been dealing with during the week.
Coach Dean Young has revealed a surprise option to replace Gutherson for the match, mentioning Daniel Atkinson as a bolter for the one jersey.
The Dragons coach can also opt for Tyrell Sloan, who has plenty of experience in the fullback jersey in the early years of his career.
“It's a weird one. I can't tell you much, to be honest, because he got through the game fine,” Young said to the Sydney Morning Herald when asked about Gutherson's condition on Saturday.
“We played Sunday, had two days off, and then Wednesday he was just sore in the normal spot. So, we're going to have to send him for an MRI scan and see what's going on.
“Just in the (knee) joint there. The physio has been working around the clock, and we thought he'd be a big chance because against Cronulla, the first time we played them, he had a torn calf from the Broncos game, didn't train all week, went out, and played 80 minutes.
“So, you never back 'Gutho' out. But he was a bit quieter the last couple of days than he normally is. He tried to warm up, and if he warmed up, that was going to be enough for me to play him because I've seen him do it before. But he's no good.”
Atkinson has played most of his career in the halves, but it is no secret he is versatile among the back five, playing centre in the backend of the 2024 season with the Sharks.
The Red V recruit has also played centre for Italy in the 2022 Rugby League World Cup, but has never been identified as an option for the fullback jersey so far.
“I think he's played there for the Sharks or maybe Melbourne,” Young said.
“Probably many moons ago. 'Atko' is pretty versatile, he could play anywhere.”
The Dragons have found some late-season form after an upset win against the Cronulla Sharks last weekend, and move one step closer to getting off the bottom of the ladder.
The club has only won three games this year, but if they continue to turn up and defy odds, the gap between the Dragons and the second-last Broncos gets smaller.
If the Broncos continue to drop games, it could see the Dragons overtake them in the final round of the season, leaving the defending premiers in last place.
But at this stage, the Dragons just need to continue winning week-by-week, with their focus set on the Tigers at CommBank Stadium on Sunday.
Good idea to try him in a match that will mean nothing.