Penrith coach Anthony Griffin insists he’d have no hesitation thrusting youngster Tyrone May straigh back into his line-up as he faces his worst injury crisis in his time at the NRL club.
Fullback Dylan Edwards is the latest to join what is easily the most crowded casualty ward in the league after dislocating his shoulder in the Panthers’ eight-point win over Canterbury on Friday.
Scans on Saturday are expected to confirm the extent of the injury, however it is believed Edwards could be out for up to six weeks.
His absence is yet another cruel blow for Griffin, who was without key players Peter Wallace (neck) Nathan Cleary (knee), Josh Mansour (cheekbone), and Waqa Blake (ankle) against the Bulldogs.
Sam McKendry (knee) and Tim Browne (bowel) have already been ruled out for the season.
Asked if he could remember a more dire time on the injury front since taking over as coach in 2016, Griffin said: “Nah, I can’t. Particularly the key position players, experienced players.”
However, Griffin confirmed Wallace is expected to be available for next week’s home game in Bathurst against North Queensland, as is their promising utility in May.
The 21-year-old played seven matches before tearing his ACL in their semi-final loss to Brisbane but is likely to be given a final clearance from his surgeon to make his return.
“Obviously he’d be short of a run. We might be able to use him off the bench,” Griffin said.
“If he’s fit at the moment, particularly where we are and he’s available for selection, we’d certainly consider it. But I’d have to just go away tonight and have a look at what we’ve got.”
Griffin lauded his team’s resiliency in spite of their injuries, with six players less than 20 games into their career, including rookies Jack Hetherington, Wayde Egan and Christian Crichton.
“We’re going through a bit of a patch. But on the other side of adversity there’s some opportunity and the guys that we’re giving a chance to… they’re all doing their job,” he said.