The Gold Coast Titans have thrown a safety net around fragile forward Chris Grevsmuhl amid concerns he faces a lengthy stint on the NRL sidelines.
Fresh back from a groin injury, Grevsmuhl dislocated his shoulder in last week's spirited win over Cronulla and is anxiously awaiting confirmation he must go under the knife.
"They're waiting for the shoulder to settle down before they decide because there's still a fair bit of blood in the joint and so we're waiting to see the surgeon about that," Gold Coast coach Neil Henry said on Friday.
"It's looking likely that it'll be surgery and, if it is, he'll be out for quite a while."
The injury is a wretched setback for the talented 24-year-old as he looks to revive his NRL career after a troubled run battling depression.
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After bursting onto the scene as a member of South Sydney's triumphant Auckland Nines line-up in 2015, and then bagging a try for the Indigenous All Stars on his representative debut, Grevsmuhl appeared headed for stardom.
But he departed the Rabbitohs in acrimonious fashion midway through last season after falling out with "mind game" coach Michael Maguire.
Picked up by Penrith, the back-rower was released by the Panthers six months later to address personal issues before he ventured to the NSW country town of Orange to find himself while working as a builder.
Henry handed the Townsville product and one-time Queensland State of Origin contender a lifeline, signing Grevsmuhl to a two-year contract at the Titans.
Now the coach has no plans on losing Grevsmuhl and is promising to help keep him on the straight and narrow.
"Certainly if he's going to be out for an extended period of time, it's a worry for him," Henry said on Friday.
"But he's quite upbeat (since) he's come back to footy and we've got a safety net around him and what he wants to do.
"He wants to do a bit of study as well so he'll get into that if he's going to be off for an extended period of time.
"He'll be in and about the boys as well.
"But he's very happy to be on the coast, him and his partner have settled and hopefully he's here for the long haul."
