The South Sydney Rabbitohs will nervously wait when Adam Elliott is sent for scans for a groin injury sustained in the club's 22-6 win over the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs on Friday.
Elliott has a long history with groin complaints, most notably requiring surgery in 2023 for a groin issue while he was at the Newcastle Knights.
The 31-year-old forward has also battled an osteitis pubis issue in 2022, with inflammation occurring in the middle of the pelvis, which cut his season short after dealing with the problem for a number of weeks prior.
Rabbitohs coach Wayne Bennett confirmed it was a groin issue for Elliott in his post-match press conference.
Elliott came off in the 11th minute of the match and was replaced by Euan Aitken, who is continuing to impress in the red and green.
Meanwhile, Keaon Koloamatangi came off the field with a concern for his shoulder, with NRL Physio suggesting the mechanism in the contact points towards an AC joint or a burner issue rather than a long-term injury.
Koloamatangi is one of the most damaging forwards in the competition, and if he is cleared of any serious damage, it makes for a massive boost in the lead-up to the pointy end of the season.
Jayden Sullivan had a tough night off the tee, only kicking one from five with suggestions of a minor groin problem.
It would make it two conversion injuries in two weeks, following Ashton Ward suffering a season-ending injury after tearing his hamstring when kicking for goal last week.
Sullivan is the club's third-choice kicker following injuries to Latrell Mitchell and Ward.
Bennett admitted it is becoming a concern and will need to find some form off the tee and go up by sixes if they are to beat the quality sides in the finals.
"Yeah, it is actually (a problem),” Bennett said.
“We've got three of them with injuries but can't do much about it. We've just got to keep scoring tries and make sure we defend well. Humphreys should be back in a week or two, he can certainly kick goals.”
With the finals race so tight, for and against records are as important as ever.
“Yeah, they are, and we realise that, but we've got to manage what we've got at the moment, and we have no kickers available,” he said.
South Sydney will continue its charge towards the finals when it faces the formidable task of hosting the high-flying New Zealand Warriors on Saturday next week.
