Western Force coach Dave Wessels has allayed fears Ben McCalman's rugby career could be over, saying the skipper is still on track to play for the Wallabies again this year.
McCalman has suffered numerous hairline fractures to his right scapula over the past 12 months, with the repeat injuries leaving even surgeons mystified.
The 29-year-old McCalman has played just one Super Rugby game this season and was hoping to make his latest return in Friday night's clash with Melbourne Rebels in Perth.
But those plans were scuppered when one of the specialists McCalman has been seeing deemed there was still a hairline fracture in his right scapula.
McCalman will be put in cotton wool for the next five weeks, before being unleashed in the National Rugby Championship later this year.
Wessels said although McCalman was desperate to make his return this week it was the right decision to hold him back.
"I guess if we were playing in a play-off game where it was absolutely vital we win, I think we would have pushed 'Dog' through," Wessels said.
"But this is a long-term game for us. Resting 'Dog' for another couple of weeks to make sure he's 100 per cent, we think this is the smart thing to do."
The delicate nature of McCalman's injuries means one more fracture could spell the end of his career.
"I recognise that if it happens again, his career might be on edge a little bit," Wessels said.
"We've had the best specialists look at this, and the suggestion is to give him another five or six weeks, and then there will be a consensus he's absolutely perfect.
"I know 'Dog' is disappointed about (not returning this week) but for the future of this club with an eye of 2018, it's the right thing to do."
Given McCalman's lack of match practice, it appears unlikely he'll win selection for the Rugby Championship, which kicks off for the Wallabies on August 19.
But a successful NRC campaign could put him in line to return to the Wallabies fold in time for their end-of-year tour, which begins with a match against Japan on November 4.
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