Warriors centre Viliami Vailea is anticipated to miss the next six weeks of action after requiring surgery on a broken jaw sustained in last Saturday's loss to Newcastle.
Stunningly, Vailea played out the 16-24 loss after suffering the ailment in the opening half, however, has since gone under the knife.
The 19-year-old played 68 minutes of the match, battling through the second half with a broken jaw.
The Warriors confirmed on Wednesday that Vailea had been cleared after a HIA prior to the intermission, with the centre now likely to spend an extended period on the sidelines.
According to NRL Physio, Brein Seeney, Vailea could miss over a month due to the setback.
Viliami Vailea played the 2nd half of the Warriors Round 12 game with a broken jaw. He has since undergone surgery with no expected recovery time given as yet. Average return to play in the NRL after these surgery types is 6 weeks
— NRL PHYSIO (@nrlphysio) June 1, 2022
The injury sees Vailea added to the Warriors' injury ward, which currently contains Addin Fonua-Blake (foot), Tom Ale (knee) and Josh Curran (knee).
The Warriors will look to return to winning ways when they travel to Sydney's northern beaches to face Manly on Saturday night.
The match will commence at 7:35pm (AEST) at 4 Pines Park.
