Penrith Panthers forward Trent Merrin is facing a stint on the sidelines after suffering a compound fracture to his finger in the warm-up to their NRL loss to the North Queensland Cowboys.
Merrin was warming up for the Friday night clash in Bathurst when he attempted a tackle on teammate Sione Katoa in a drill minutes before the game, reeling away in pain as he caught his finger awkwardly.
The 28-year-old went straight to the dressing rooms where he got the fingers strapped, and was subsequently ruled out of the game at Carrington Park.
He stayed to watch, before being rushed to Penrith Hospital as there were no experienced surgeons available in the central west region.
A photo on the injury was posted to Instagram for the fractured finger, and it isn't pretty.
"Somehow or another he's got his hand in a bad place, a normal contact drill and has put his bone through the finger," Panthers coach Anthony Griffin said after the match.
"They have to get it cleaned up tonight. At the time we just had to get on with it."
He is expected to miss between three and eight weeks.
The Panthers fought back from 20 points down against the Cowboys, but eventually fell 26-20 in front of a record crowd.
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