WOLLONGONG, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 04: Paul Vaughan of the Dragons is tackled during the round 21 NRL match between the St George Illawarra Dragons and the New Zealand Warriors at WIN Stadium on August 4, 2018 in Wollongong, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

St George Illawarra Dragons prop Paul Vaughan has sustained a leg injury against the Warriors and could face a stint on the sidelines.

The NSW forward came from the field in the 11th minute of his side's 18-12 loss to New Zealand on Saturday after twisting his leg in a tackle. He was later seen on crutches and in a moon boot after the match.

Dragons coach Paul McGregor said the club's medical staff was unable to determine the severity of the injury but admitted it was a concern.

“He is not sure whether it is his knee or his ankle,” McGregor told NRL Media.

“He heard something pop so he is just sort of in a bit of, I suppose, freeze mode at the moment.

“He is concerned, to be honest with you. We will have to wait until we get a scan and go from there but it doesn’t look promising at all, really.”

The Dragons also lost fullback Matt Dufty during the contest, who was sin-binned for a professional foul.

“The sin-binning obviously at that stage didn’t help,” McGregor said.

“[There were] six penalties against the opposition in the second half and no one goes to the bin, and four inside the 20-metre zone. But that’s not an excuse.”

The Dragons currently sit fourth on the ladder after dropping four of their past five matches, and McGregor conceded his side will come under the microscope for their history of late-season fade outs.

“It’s not going away until you win. Our vision is on what we want to do, not a revision. However, everyone is going to talk about because we lost.”

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