Sydney Roosters winger Daniel Tupou will miss the next six weeks of the NRL due to a back injury.
The NSW representative suffered the injury in last week's State of Origin III.
The injury, a tear in the 23-year-old's Latissimus dorsi muscle, is identical to that which his Tricolours teammate Michael Jennings sustained in Origin II.
Jennings is still expected to miss another three weeks while Tupou is only likely to return for the final two rounds of the NRL regular season when the premiers host Melbourne and then South Sydney.
Centre Shaun Kenny-Dowall admitted the loss of Tupou was a blow for the struggling Roosters ahead of Saturday's clash with top-of-the-table Penrith.
"Especially him going through that whole Origin series he would be high on confidence," Kenny-Dowall said on Tuesday.
"Unfortunately he is going to miss five or six weeks, he is a great player and some of our young guys are really going to have to step up in his absence.
"We are really going to have to get those young fellas up and really perform at the top grade.
"We have some great young guys coming through young Nene (Macdonald) out there and Brendan Elliott who made his debut last week so we are going to have to work really hard on those guys and bring them up to NRL standard."
Macdonald shapes as the likely inclusion for Tupou against the Panthers.
In some good injury new for the Roosters both Kiwi winger Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and captain Anthony Minichiello are likely to be fit for the round 19 Rise for Alex fixture.
Tuivasa-Sheck missed the Roosters' shock last-start loss to Cronulla with a hamstring injury before their round 18 bye.
Minichiello suffered a hamstring injury in the first half against the Sharks and did not return.
Queensland back-rower Aidan Guerra didn't train with the Roosters on Tuesday after being given a rest by coach Trent Robinson but he will take the Allianz Stadium turf on Saturday.
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