Canberra Raiders winger Savelio Tamale is set for an extended stint on the sidelines after suffering a gruesome leg injury during his side's clash with the South Sydney Rabbitohs on Sunday afternoon in the nation's capital.
Letting in the first tries of the game, Tamale had his leg caught awkwardly under a three-man tackle during the 15th minute of the game.
The leg bent, and while initial concern was for an ankle or leg injury, Raiders medical staff performed a hands on ACL test, ruling that out as a likely concern.
Instead, it's now believed he has suffered a displacement of the knee cap.
"They're saying something along the lines of a displacement of the knee cap so it's not going to be a short turnaround, he could be 2-3 months," head coach Ricky Stuart said during the post-match press conference, which followed his side's impressive comeback victory over the Rabbitohs.
Tamale has been in superb form this year for the Raiders after making his NRL debut against the club in the final round of last season.
Ahead of Sunday's game against South Sydney, he had scored six tries in 13 games, to go with a staggering 76 tackle busts, 15 line breaks and was averaging about 170 metres per game.
Arriving at the club without a clear path to first-grade, he quickly took the wing spot owned by Albert Hopoate last year, although he is now out injured for the season with a knee injury.
With that being the case, Michael Asomua could be a likely debutant next time out for the Raiders, although the run of games Tamale will miss is shortened by the fact the Raiders still have all three of their byes to have over the remaining weeks of the competition.
