In what could potentially be a huge blow to St George Illawarra's early-season fortunes, Dragons physiotherapist Dan Lawson has given a grim outlook on Josh Dugan's injury.
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The fullback looks to have suffered a syndesmosis injury to his left ankle in his side's 12-4 loss to Melbourne Storm.
With typically a six to eight-week recovery period, Dugan is set to miss important time for his club which may also potentially harm his State of Origin chances for New South Wales.
"His ankle doesn't look really good at the moment. It looks like he has had a high ankle sprain. He is in a boot and on crutches at the moment so he'll get an MRI scan most likely on Tuesday," Lawson said.
"We'll know the full extent of his injury. The first indicators though are not great.
"We will see him again at the boys' recovery and we'll get a scan sometime and see how he pulls up and we'll get a better idea of how long he'll be out for."
Ben Creagh (back) and Jack de Belin (shoulder) also look to have suffered injuries on top of the loss of Dugan but the duo have announced themselves certain starters for the Dragons clash against Wests Tigers next Monday night.
"I just had a bit of an awkward hit to the shoulder," de Belin told NRL.com. "It isn't anything serious and I'll be right for next week."