South Sydney Rabbitohs fullback Latrell Mitchell is expected to miss eight weeks with a hamstring tear.
The NSW State of Origin representative was injured on Saturday during his side's 24-12 win over the St George Illawarra Dragons.
Mitchell went down midway through the second half following a hit up.
Rabbitohs head physiotherapist Eddie Farah said an MRI scan on Sunday showed the tear was worse than hoped.
"The tear was located in the tendon rather than in the muscle," he said.
"What that means is recovery is going to be a lot slower."
Mitchell has played in four of the Rabbitohs' five matches this season, missing the season-opener against the Brisbane Broncos through suspension.
His suspension dated back to the end of the 2021 season, when the star player missed South Sydney's finals campaign.
Mitchell was replaced at fullback last season by Blake Taaffe, who was on the bench for last weekend's game.
"[I'm] obviously disappointed with this result but there's definitely a brighter side," Mitchell said on social media.
"I'll be back."
The Rabbitohs face the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs on Friday.
