Melbourne were forced to hold their breath one and a half months out from the finals after Jahrome Hughes suffered a dislocated shoulder during his side's clash against the Sydney Roosters.
The reigning Dally M Medal winner was pictured in agony as he was helped from the field after hurting his shoulder when attempting to make a tackle on James Tedesco in the opening minutes of the second half.
The Storm were already without spine members Ryan Papenhuyzen and Cameron Munster for their Round 21 clash against the Chooks.
And Harry Grant was left as the last man standing amongst his key teammates when Hughes exited stage left. But the hooker orchestrated a stunning 34-30 comeback victory against the odds.
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Jahrome Hughes injured as Melbourne's premiership hopes take major hit
"Big news out of the dressing sheds - confirmation it’s a dislocated shoulder for Hughes," Jake Duke reported on Fox League.
"It’ll require scans, but that could be a big blow for Melbourne’s premiership hopes."
Already trailing by two points as Hughes was helped from the field by two trainers, things soon got worse for Craig Bellamy’s side as Lindsay Collins extended the lead to 24-16.
"I’m being told that they can’t get the shoulder back in place," Duke added moments later as the bad news just kept on coming.
"So, they’ve arranged an ambulance and they’re taking him to the hospital."
However, despite seeing one of their star players head down the tunnel, the Storm managed to flip the script in the closing stages.
Stefano Utoikamanu scored the match-winning try beside the posts with just over five minutes remaining on the clock as they then held on for a valuable two competition points to solidy their place inside the top-four.
Craig Bellamy reacts to Jahrome Hughes shoulder injury
"He'll probably have to go under to get it back in," Bellamy said of his injured No.7 post-match.
"It's obviously not good news but we're not quite sure the severity of it until he has a scan.
"I've experienced it myself actually, I had both of my shoulders reconstructed," Bellamy added.
"I think the longer they're out, the bigger the problem it is. The longer it's out the more it stretches the ligaments and muscles around the joint, so I don't think it's overly good news.
"It's about finding out the severity of it, like has he done other damage other than just the dislocation? Until he has a scan tomorrow, we're not going to know."
Meanwhile, the coach declared that while the injury to Hughes was a major setback, he was confident either Tyran Wishart or Jonah Pezet could take the reins at halfback.
"No one wants to lose their halfback and he's a massive part of our footy team," Bellamy said.
"It's up to them now. At the end of the day, we'll give someone else a chance.
"With Pez, he's only a young kid who hasn't had too much first-grade experience, but he's a good organiser and kicker. So, we'll see what we think is best for the team.
"But we probably won't recover completely as he was the Dally M winner last year...However long he is out for, we're going to miss him."
Storm provides latest injury update on Jahrome Hughes
In a huge boost, Melbourne have since revealed that Hughes will be able to play again this season.
"Scans conducted on Friday have confirmed that Hughes does not require surgery for the dislocation," a brief club statement noted.
"He will begin a rehab program with the aim of returning for the NRL finals."