Manly Sea Eagles’ finals hopes took a hit on Sunday afternoon as star centre Reuben Garrick left the field with a shoulder injury in their clash against the Wests Tigers.
Midway through the first half at the 18-minute mark, Garrick landed awkwardly in a tackle involving Tigers playmaker Jarome Luai, who was penalised for high contact.
Initially attempting to play on despite the pain, Garrick soon exited the Allianz Stadium field after reporting a crack and instability in his shoulder.
"Horrible landing - he's come from the field eventually and said he heard a crack and the shoulder felt unstable," Fox Sports sideline reporter Matt Russell said.
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"His future in this game and the weeks ahead are in severe doubt."
The Sea Eagles were able to bring on Tommy Talau from the bench as a like-for-like replacement in the outside backs, with Garrick never returning back to the game
While Manly managed to cover for Garrick during the match, the absence of key players Jake Trbojevic and Haumole Olakau’atu means his injury casts serious doubt over their top-eight aspirations.
The club has confirmed that the centre will undergo scans to determine the severity of the injury.
The 28-year-old has been a rock for the Sea Eagles this season, playing every game through constant backline reshuffles and ranking third in the NRL for total points scored.
Garrick wasn’t the only casualty in Sunday afternoon’s Round 24 clash, with the Tigers also dealt a blow as Starford To’a failed to return after sustaining an AC joint injury early in the second half.