Canterbury have been dealt a serious late season blow with reigning Dally M medal winner Ben Barba ruled out until the eve of the NRL finals.
The brilliant fullback had scans on his injured ankle on Saturday morning which confirmed he'd suffered a grade one high ankle sprain which could sideline the 23-year-old for up to five weeks.
Barba suffered the injury in the process of scoring a try in the eighth minute during Friday night's 40-12 mauling of Parramatta at ANZ Stadium.
There are six rounds of the regular season left, with last year's minor premiers making a strong charge at the top four after a sloppy start to the season to sit one point behind fourth-placed Manly - though Barba's absence will surely dent that momentum in the coming weeks.
The Bulldogs' run home in the final six rounds of the season is favourable however, with games coming up against St George Illawarra, Gold Coast and Canberra before facing leaders South Sydney.
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