Brisbane's horror NRL week has deepened with prop Matt Lodge ruled out for the remainder of the season due to a broken leg.
Lodge has been struggling with knee pain since injuring the joint in the round seven loss to Gold Coast.
An initial prognosis suggested the injury wasn't serious and multiple scans have been unable to determine the source of the pain.
The 25-year-old returned for last weekend's loss to South Sydney but since that match the pain has not subsided.
After failing to complete Tuesday's training session, Lodge was sent for another scan which revealed a hairline fracture in his tibia.
It means Lodge will have to sit out the remainder of the season to allow the injury to heal.
The news is the latest blow for the troubled Broncos, who have slumped to second-last on the ladder after 10 losses from their past 11 matches.
Fellow forward Tevita Pangai Jr has been suspended indefinitely and is reportedly set to be sacked after the NRL served him with a breach notice for "multiple" infractions of the code's COVID-19 protocols.
An investigation has also been launched after 10 members of the Broncos squad went to a pub lunch on August 1.
Brisbane great Allan Langer is one of three staff members stood down after breaching COVID protocols while head coach Anthony Seibold is also in a 14-day COVID-19 hold after attending to a private family matter following the loss to the Rabbitohs.
Lodge joins an injury list at Red Hill that includes captain Alex Glenn (knee), playmaker Anthony Milford (hamstring) and Corey Oates (leg) ahead of Saturday's away match against Canberra.
Australian Associated Press
