NZ Warriors half Luke Metcalf has ruled himself out of the rest of the 2023 NRL season - including playoffs - after suffering a hamstring injury in last weekend's victory over St George Dragons.
Metcalf, 24, limped out of Friday's win, as coach Andrew Webster confirmed a problem with his hamstring.
However, the injury is not a recurrence of the same hamstring issue that kept Metcalf on the sidelines for the opening 12 rounds of this year's season - it is the other leg.
Taking to Instagram, Metcalf has confirmed he will miss the rest of 2023, with the Warriors reaching the NRL playoffs for the first time since 2018.
"Not the way I wanted my year to end," he posted. "Just getting started though."
Metcalf has enjoyed a breakthrough campaign since arriving from Cronulla Sharks this season. With Te Maire Martin out of action with a broken leg after round six, he quickly took to first grade to become Shaun Johnson's preferred partner in the halves.
All up, Metcalf played 12 games for the Warriors this season, all at five-eighth, scoring six tries and creating three more.
His absence comes the week after Martin made a successful comeback from injury for the Warriors' reserve side.
Now, as part of a heavily rotated side for the regular season finale against the Dolphins on Saturday, Martin will start in the No.6 jersey, alongside halfback Ronald Volkman, with Johnson rested before the playoffs begin.
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