South Sydney captain John Sutton is set to be sidelined for up to six weeks with a knee injury suffered in Monday night's win over Canberra, but a minor shoulder injury to Sam Burgess is unlikely to see him miss any NRL action.
Both players suffered the injuries in the first half of Souths' 34-18 demolition of the Raiders in Canberra, with the Rabbitohs confirming the diagnosis as a result of scans on Tuesday afternoon.
Sutton will miss between four and six weeks with medial ligament damage, and may require surgery.
However the news for Burgess was far better with the England forward set to play against Newcastle in Cairns on Sunday.
In a day of mixed news for the second-placed Rabbitohs back-rower Ben Te'o faces a week out due to a dangerous throw on Raiders centre Jarrod Croker.
It was initially thought Burgess's injury could result in him missing a number of weeks, but the rugby union-bound 25-year-old, who has a history of shoulder problems, revealed a far more positive diagnosis on Twitter.
"Scan results on my shoulder were positive this morning. No serious damage. Thanks for everyone's messages and well wishes. Back to business," he posted.
Sutton also revealed things could have been far worse.
"The doctor said (the medial ligament) was very, very loose and if I kept going I could do my ACL," he said.
With six rounds of the NRL season left to go, Sutton may now not play until the finals.
That will give interchange playmaker Luke Keary and Monday's man of the match halfback Adam Reynolds a chance to work on their halves combination over that period.
The Rabbitohs have taken their round 21 home match against the Knights to Cairns's Barlow Park on Sunday.
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