NZ international Kieran Foran is set for another stint on the sidelines after injuring his toe during the Canterbury Bulldogs' 28-22 defeat against the St George Illawarra Dragons on Saturday.
Foran came to the sideline midway through the first half of the match at WIN Stadium, and made a brief return to the field before being forced off again for a head injury assessment (HIA).
Despite passing his HIA, he didn't return to the field as the Bulldogs blew a 12-point lead to slump to their ninth loss of the season.
But it appears an old toe injury was the reason why he didn't return to the field, and the 30-year-old will undergo scans to determine the extent of his injury.
"I felt my toe, I was a bit concerned because I had surgery on it back in 2018 and it was a similar feeling to when I did it then," Foran told NRL.com
"It was pretty sore so I will get scans tonight and see how it is.
"Since I had it fixed up in 2018 I haven't had any dramas with it but I pivoted off my left foot midway through that first half and as I came off my left I felt it click, which is what I felt back in 2018.
"I hope I am wrong and I am just being overcautious. It wasn't the best way to finish the night."
Foran, who is off-contract at the end of the season, is weighing up a $800,000 pay cut to stay at Bulldogs. But he is determined to focus on getting fit again, before resuming contract talks.
Meanwhile, the Penrith Panthers will have the chance to move to the top of the NRL standings, after the Parramatta Eels' shock 22-18 defeat to the Manly Sea Eagles.
The Sea Eagles raced out to a 22-4 halftime lead, and the Eels mounted a second half fightback but they fell short to suffer their second loss of the season.
"Good teams keep getting themselves up all the time," says Eels coach Brad Arthur.
"If we want to be a good team and play some reasonable football, teams are going to come after us and we have to be prepared for it.
"We can't wait until 20 minutes in before we decide, 'geez we're going to have to roll our sleeves up and have a crack'."
If the Panthers beat the North Queensland Cowboys on Sunday afternoon, Ivan Cleary's side will leapfrog the Melbourne Storm and Eels to finish the round on top of the standings.
Elsewhere, the Newcastle Knights returned to winning ways after holding off the fast-finishing South Sydney Rabbitohs 20-18 at Bankwest Stadium.
The Knights led 20-0 with 15 minutes remaining, but the Rabbitohs scored three tries in seven minutes to set up a thrilling finish.
Despite holding on to win, Knights coach Adam O'Brien said the players were very disappointed after the match.
"They were a bit down when they first came in [to the dressing room]," he says.
"I think the guys that were involved with a few dropped balls in a row, and missed tackles that led to tries, those guys naturally are a bit worried about what I'm going to say, worried about letting their teammates down at the end.
"We need to enjoy the win. You've got to enjoy wins, there's a few teams in this comp that would love to be experiencing a 20-18 win."
Join us for live updates of Warriors v Sharks from 4pm Sunday
