St George Illawarra Dragons skipper Cameron McInnes is expected to spend up to three months on the sideline after suffering an MCL tear.
The hooker injured his knee during the NRL Nines last weekend and is expected to miss the first few rounds of the NRL season.
St George’s medical staff said that McInnes has suffered a medium-to-high grade medial cruciate ligament injury.
“Typically, the return-to-play time frame for this is anywhere between six and 12 weeks,” Dragons head of athletic performance Nathan Pickworth said.
“The specifics of that time frame will be determined by how quickly the ligament tightens up, that’ll be reassessed this week.”
News following the recent Nines tournament was expected to be even worse on the injury front for the Dragons following issues with fullback Matt Dufty and forward Korbin Sims.
However, Dufty is expected to be out of action for just four weeks after undergoing successful surgery on a broken cheekbone, whilst Sims has been cleared of a fracture to his forearm.
