The injury-ravaged Sea Eagles simply can't cop a break, with further injuries to stars Jamie Lyon and Kieran Foran causing even more headaches for under-pressure coach Geoff Toovey.
Foran was a late withdrawal from the side's 28-16 loss to Canterbury due to a hamstring strain, which is not thought to be serious, while Lyon hobbled off around eight minutes from full-time with an ankle injury.
After the match, Toovey was pessimistic about the prognosis for the goal-kicking captain, who has already missed three games this year with a groin strain.
"It looks like he's got a high ankle sprain... It doesn't look all that promising," Toovey said of Lyon.
If it is a high ankle sprain the 33-year-old would most likely be looking at a further 4-6 weeks on the sidelines.
Halfback Daly Cherry-Evans also battled a foot complaint during the game that appeared to hamper him particularly in the first half. Toovey said the playmaker had been carrying the injury for a while.
"He's carried a foot injury for a month or so now, it just gives him a bit of grief," Toovey said.
The injuries come on top of absences of outside backs Brett Stewart, Clint Gutherson, Jorge Taufua and Tom Trbojevic, and forwards Brenton Lawrence, Josh Starling, Jesse Sene-Lefao and Feleti Mateo.
Toovey refused to use the ever-increasing injury toll as an excuse for the side's current woes.
"It's well documented since [season] kick-off really but that's no excuse," he said.
Hooker Matt Ballin also refused to blame the injury crisis.
"With all the losses we've copped a little bit of a battering but as players there's no excuse. We have a game plan and we just didn't execute it so the buck stops with us. We've got to complete better and not have little lapses in the game," he said.
