The loss of Issac Luke for three weeks has been compounded with Warriors coach Stephen Kearney acknowledging Tohu Harris might not play again in 2019.
The star recruit of the 2018 campaign has been missing since the June 14 win over the Gold Coast Titans - a match in which he suffered a stress fracture of the foot.
The Warriors push for a playoff spot suffered a blow on Tuesday night with news veteran hooker Luke would miss half of the final six games through suspension.
Now, less than 24 hours late, Kearney appears resigned to losing another of his leaders.
"There is a possibility yeah," Kearney said when asked if Harris would miss the rest of the season.
"He had surgery on a foot fracture so we need to see how he pulls up around the back end of round 22.
"He goes back to see the specialist around that time so at this point, it's a wait and see, but it's a possibility he won't play again."
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It's been a horror five days for the club following a controversial loss against the Parramatta Eels where numerous crucial calls went against them.
Luke was then sighted for a grade three dangerous throw - a charge that comes with a three-match suspension. The Warriors challenged in a bid to keep Luke on the field but the judiciary ruled the grading was just.
A frustrated Kearney stressed on Wednesday that it was important to park the issues from the weekend and focus on beating a very good Canberra Raiders on Friday night in Auckland.
Ricky Stuart's side has won six from seven and find themselves cemented in the top four.
Kearney said they deserve the Warriors' full attention.
"The point I made to them was to put themselves in the opposition shoes this week. Do you think they are feeling sorry for us?
"Absolutely not.
"We know we have to go out there and compete really hard and focus on the really good things we have done over the last six or seven weeks and bring that energy and commitment to the process and we will give ourselves an opportunity on Friday."
And Kearney has pinpointed one of his former players as the man to stop.
Charnze Nikoll-Klokstad has had a breakout campaign wearing the Raiders No.1 jersey following his off-season move to the Australian capital.
The 23-year-old played seven NRL games for the Warriors in a two-year stint, but couldn't force his way into the side as a regular outside back behind Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Ken Maumalo and David Fusitu'a.
But he has made the most of his new found home, producing multiple man of the match performances for the 'Green Machine'.
"They are a wonderfully balanced footy team at the moment. They get out of their own back field really well with their outside back, you know Jordan (Rapana) and Charnze," Kearney said.
They do that really well and they have a very clever dummy-half who puts them in the right positions at key moments and brings Charnze into the game.
There's no doubt he (Nikoll-Klokstad) would have taken some learnings for a guy like Rog (Tuivasa-Sheck), but he always had great energy and capability. It was just hard to find him a regular spot in the side. We are really pleased for him with the way that he has gone but we need to minimise the impact he has against us."
Anything less than a Warriors win on Friday night could see the club four points outside the top eight by Monday.
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