The Roosters have been dealt a cruel blow on the eve of the final round and the NRL Finals, with confirmation that towering winger Daniel Tupou is likely to miss a number of weeks after suffering a groin strain in the clubโ€™s win over the Melbourne Storm.

Tupou had just scored the first try of the contest when he showed signs of soreness. Though a trainer went out and immediately strapped up the problem area, he came from the field soon after.

Though the usual time frame of recovery for a strain is one or two weeks, according to NRL Physio, Tupou has had a number of groin injuries in the past and itโ€™s unlikely the club will risk rushing him back despite the fact the NRL Finals start in just two weeks.

Tupou has been in a rich vein of form of late, scoring seven tries in his past six appearances to take his career total to 132 tries in just 222 matches. Heโ€™s now just seven tries behind Roosters legend Anthony Minichielloโ€™s club record of 139.

Itโ€™s a big blow for Tupou, who had enjoyed a two-year spell without significant injury after a syndesmosis issue affected his 2020 campaign. In both 2017 and 2018 he was forced to miss periods of up to six weeks due to recurring groin injuries.

The 31-year-old had also made his return to the State of Origin arena this year as a reward for his excellent form, after missing out on selection in the 2021 series.