The Melbourne Storm has been dealt an injury blow, with scans revealing Harry Grant has suffered a low-grade hamstring strain.
The club is expecting its captain to be fit following their bye in Round 24.
The Storm was defeated 28-26 in a see-sawing affair against the South Sydney Rabbitohs, but the worst blow came when Grant hobbled off the field in the 37th minute, sending Melbourne's finals chances into disarray.
Grant took a scoot out of dummy half when he felt something go, subsequently moving to the sideline and up the tunnel for assessment.
Grant has had a troubled past with hamstring complaints, and spoke on his condition following full-time on Friday night.
“I'm not really sure initially. I've had a couple of hamstrings over the years, and it sort of feels pretty similar,” Grant said on Nine's post-match coverage.
“Going off that, fingers crossed it's not too long. I guess you get scans, do a bit more testing, and go from there. Initially, it's always a bit ginger, so you don't want to push it too much and gauge too much on the testing.
“I don't know fully (the timeline). Going off what I had last time, it was probably three to four weeks.
“It's all speculation right now, I just have to wait until I get a scan and go from there. But it's all part of the game, isn't it?”
As one of the Storm's premier players, his injury creates a brutal blow, with the club expecting Trent Toelau to fill in the Queensland Maroon hooker's void.
Coach Craig Bellamy echoed Grant's sentiments following full-time and remained hopeful to see his star spine member back in action prior to scan results surfacing on Saturday.
“We're hopeful to see him some time as the year goes on but he might not get too many games in,” Bellamy said post-game on Friday night.
“As it cooled down it got worse. He'll go for a scan some time over the weekend and we'll find out how bad it is and what the plan will be for his rehab.”
In a matter of weeks, Melbourne's injury list has skyrocketed.
Grant joins teammates Cameron Munster (knee), Will Warbrick (Achilles) and Xavier Coates (Achilles) on the sidelines as they being to lose touch with making the Top 8 for the first time since the salary cap breach in 2010.
Accompanied by those injuries are Eliesa Katoa, sidelined with a head injury, and Tui Kamikamica, who is recovering from a stroke.
The Storm sit in 11th on the ladder, with eight wins and 11 losses in 2026.
With a congested cluster in the middle of the table separating them from the Top 8, the club must simply keep winning all remaining games to keep in touch for a September feature.
The Storm will regroup before hosting the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs at AAMI Park on July 31.
Meanwhile, Grant's return match will be against the ladder-leading Penrith Panthers on August 20, alongside his Maroons teammate Cameron Munster, returning from minor knee surgery.
