The Queensland Maroons will be forced to play the final 50 minutes of State of Origin Game 1 without Xavier Coates, who was taken from the field with a seeming high ankle sprain.
Queensland's medical staff have confirmed to Channel 9 that Coates will not be back.
The dreaded syndesmosis injury, which at its worst can leave a player out of action for anywhere up to ten weeks, saw Coates originally try to play on.
He had appeared to suffer the injury in the 23rd minute of the game after being caught in an awkward position on the left-hand side of the park with Queensland working towards halfway.
Five minutes later, Coates would be taken from the field after attempting to make a hit up.
It saw Queensland forced into a snap reshuffle, with Kurt Capewell shifting out to the centres, and Valentine Holmes placed on the wing.
Coates was seen on crutches after fulltime.
Coates will now await the results of scans to determine the severity of the injury, with it likely he may need to miss Game 2, and potentially Game 3, as well as a handful of games for the Melbourne Storm, who are already struggling for depth in the outside backs.
With Ryan Papenhuyzen and Reimis Smith injured, Nick Meaney is currently playing at fullback, while Dean Iereia and Marion Seve are also in the back five.
Should Coates be out, it's likely former rugby sevens star Will Warbrick will gain an NRL opportunity, however, Meaney could also find himself back on the wing if Papenhuyzen is fit to return.
