Canberra are preparing to be without captain Jarrod Croker for the remainder of the NRL season.
The star centre suffered a dislocated knee cap in the Raiders' 38-12 victory over North Queensland on Saturday and was having scans on Monday to determine the damage.
Even before the severity of the injury is confirmed the club are bracing themselves for the worst.
His absence will be a bitter blow as the Raiders aim to keep their finals hopes alive, sitting two games outside of the top-eight.
Not only does Croker leave a centre and leadership hole, but he is the club's designated kicker.
Halfback Aidan Sezer filled the kicking void when Croker left the field after 30 minutes against the Cowboys and made five of six conversion attempts.
"It looks like Crokes will miss the rest of the year, he's our captain and a bloody good centre at that," Raiders forward Luke Bateman said.
"Losing your captain is like losing a limb really.
"He's played over 200 games and everyone looks up to him."
At 27, Croker is one of the older members of the Raiders squad and Bateman was sure to let him know about it.
"I was texting him yesterday and I said that's what happens when you're 45 and try to keep playing footy," Bateman joked.
Canberra have already been hard hit with the NRL suspending fullback Jack Wighton for the rest of the season after he pleaded guilty to assault charges.
That's on top of being without forward Shannon Boyd (calf) and Joseph Tapine (suspension).
But the Raiders should get Wighton's replacement fullback Brad Abbey back for Friday night's clash with Cronulla after missing the win against the Cowboys due to concussion.
