Warriors winger Glen Fisiiahi's season is officially over after being told he will require a shoulder reconstruction that will sideline him for at least six months.
After suffering nerve damage in his shoulder in Round 5, Fisiiahi revealed he is facing a frustrating wait with surgery not able to be booked until his nerve has recovered and is responsive.
"At the moment I am finished for the season, I have damaged the nerve there in my shoulder and part of it is numb right now," a dejected Fisiiahi told NRL.com.
"I also have to undergo a shoulder reconstruction which will sit me out for six months.
"I just have to wait for the nerve to fire up, once it does that I can go and have surgery."
After damaging the shoulder in an innocuous-looking tackle against the Sharks on April 5, Fisiiahi was expected to miss only two weeks initially.
"I took a knee to the shoulder and my whole arm went dead," he said.
"I played the whole game and it wasn't until after the game that I knew how bad it was."
The injury is the latest in a string of setbacks for the 23-year-old flyer, who most recently suffered a torn pectoral muscle in July of last year, which ended his 2013 NRL season.
"It has been a tough ride but I have been in this situation before so I just have to stay strong for the team," he said.
The injury robs the Warriors of one of their best performers through the opening month of the 2014 competition.
After the first five rounds of the season Fisiiahi led the NRL try-scorers list with seven, including a three-try haul in his side's 42-18 win over the Tigers in Round 4.
Averaging 94 metres and a tackle bust per game, Fisiiahi was experiencing his best season in the NRL and finally looking comfortable on the right wing after converting from fullback.
It also comes as a significant blow to the club's outside back stocks.
Already without Jerome Ropati, who retired last month following a spate of serious injuries, it now appears they will play the rest of the season without utility back Kevin Locke as well.
The former Kiwi international, who has signed to play with Salford for 2015, is on the outer with the Warriors and last weekend played for his junior club the Northcote Tigers in the Auckland competition.
While youngster David Fusitu'a has made the right wing position his own in the past few weeks, coach Andrew McFadden expressed his disappointment at the loss of Fisiiahi.
"Sometimes they [shoulder nerves] come back in a week, sometimes they take longer," he said.
"This one is obviously more serious and it is very disappointing for us and Glen."
