Matt Lodge could miss the entire NRL season with a knee injury, with scan results on Wednesday likely to reveal a partial ACL tear.

Lodge suffered the injury at training on Tuesday and is facing an eight-to-nine month lay-off if the worst case scenario is confirmed, according to The Courier Mail.

While the club is confident it is not a complete tear, Lodge’s absence would be a big blow after the forward emerged as one of the NRL club’s most important players last season.

The 24-year-old was set to start alongside Payne Haas in the front-row, having worked his way into NSW Origin discussions last year while also earning a promotion to the club’s leadership group this season.

It would be the fourth ACL injury before an official trial game has been played in the NRL off-season after similar setbacks for Sydney’s Billy Smith, Gold Coast captain Ryan James and Warriors prop Bunty Afoa.