Sydney Roosters hooker Sam Verrills' rotten run with injuries to start the 2022 season has continued after he fractured his collarbone during Saturday evening's heavy win over the Gold Coast Titans.
The dummy half was supposed to miss the opening game of the season through suspension, however, a broken thumb meant he didn't play his first game until Round 6 against the New Zealand Warriors.
Spending that game from the bench, he then started against the St George Illawarra Dragons and Canterbury Bulldogs, before doing the same on Saturday against the Titans, only to suffer a painful looking facial injury 19 minutes into the game.
Verrills never returned, and Robinson confirmed he had fractured his collarbone during his post-game press conference.
"Yeah, it's a fractured collarbone, so not great news there," Robinson said.
Verrills will need scans to confirm the extent of the fracture, and whether it will need surgery to recover.
Without surgery, the hooker could return in a period of between six and eight weeks based on previous return times for such an injury. Should he require surgery, he could miss as much as 12 weeks of game time.
Robinson, when quizzed, also confirmed Connor Watson would slot straight back into the side in the number nine jersey.
Watson has been missing with an injury of his own since the Round 5 victory over the Brisbane Broncos, and was due to return in the coming weeks.
Robinson confirmed Watson has been cleared by team medical staff.
"We have Connor Watson who has been cleared to come back next week," Robinson said.
"That's a positive for us. It's not ideal for Sammy, but ideal to have Connor come back in."
It's tipped that the return of Watson was going to push Drew Hutchison out of the side, however, he will now be able to keep his spot on the interchange bench.
Saturday's win over the Titans, inspired by a James Tedesco masterclass, leaves the Roosters with a five wins and four-loss record heading into their magic round encounter with the Parramatta Eels.
