Brisbane centre Jack Reed faces an extended period on the sidelines after being ruled out of Thursday night’s NRL home clash with Canberra due to another shoulder injury.
Reed has been replaced at left centre by Jordan Kahu, with Greg Eden filling the right wing vacancy for a Broncos side that has suffered three straight losses.
Brisbane coach Wayne Bennett said Reed – who has a history of shoulder problems – would undergo scans and an arthroscope to get to the bottom of a problem that had been lingering since the pre-season.
Bennett tried to play down fears Reed may be a long term loss, ruling out yet another shoulder reconstruction for the England international.
“There’s no fracture there, like previous things,” Bennett said of Reed who has endured reconstructions on both shoulders.
“We need to do more scans, maybe tidy up a few things there but there’s no major reconstruction required.
“We just want to give him some pain relief.”
Bennett said Reed had tried to soldier on with his latest shoulder complaint before it became too much.
“He’s in pain all the time whether he is sleeping or sitting around,” he said.
“(But) he didn’t want to let the boys down.
“He was brave. No one here has been putting him under pressure to play.
“He had been speaking to the doctors and physio on a regular basis.
“But for him it was getting worse not better.”
Meanwhile, Bennett denied that Kiwi enforcer Adam Blair had been punished for poor form by being relegated to the bench two weeks after he captained the side.
Queensland star Sam Thaiday has been promoted to the starting front row at Blair’s expense.
Bennett said it was just his way of trying to jolt former ladder leaders Brisbane out of their funk after losing four of their last five games.
“It’s no reflection on Blair’s form whatsoever,” Bennett said.
“We are just not where we want to be.
“I am not going to sit on my hands and hope it turns around, I am trying to make things happen.”
The fourth-placed Brisbane host a Canberra side vying for a fourth straight win.
