Wests Tigers' Lawrence eyes July return
Scans on Wests Tigers star Chris Lawrence's horror injury have revealed no fracture, meaning he can begin considering a return to the NRL by July.
Lawrence has so far avoided further complications to the painful dislocated hip he suffered late in Saturday night's 34-24 win over Canberra.
The club says if the Test centre is given the all clear by further scans to be undertaken in around six weeks' time, Lawrence can expect to be back in action in late June or early July.
"The hip was successfully manipulated back into place and I'm confident that Chris will make a full recovery from this injury," Tigers doctor Donald Kuah said in a statement.
"He's extremely hard-working and I have no doubt that he'll be 100 per cent committed to getting back on the field as soon as he can."
Test winger Lote Tuqiri will undergo surgery to have a plate inserted into his right forearm on Tuesday morning after X-rays confirmed a fracture to his radius.
He is expected back for the round 11 clash with Penrith at Campbelltown Stadium.
"It's a relatively straight-forward injury that will initially require rest but he will be able to start running in about two weeks and increase his training regime from there," Kuah said.
Tuqiri said the Tigers would still be a force to be reckoned with, even as their left-side attacking force sat on the sidelines.
"You can write us off at your peril, we've got some great players in there at the moment and we've got some good players who'll come in," he told Network Ten.
Sydney Roosters winger Sam Perrett will miss eight weeks after scans confirmed he had fractured his ankle but will not require surgery.
His possible replacement will be Phil Graham, who made a successful NSW Cup return from a torn pectoral suffered in last year's finals series.
Newcastle young gun Beau Henry will undergo further scans after an X-ray showed no fracture in the ankle he injured during Sunday's loss to Manly.
Henry was to have an MRI scan on Monday with ligament damage the new early diagnosis.
Replacement half Ben Rogers (dislocated shoulder) and forward Cameron Ciraldo (pectoral) are both set for lengthy stints on the sidelines with scans still to confirm the extent of their injuries.
Penrith's injury woes have eased with Luke Walsh (shoulder) a possibility of missing just one game and Lachlan Coote cleared of a foot injury.
Their major worry is utility Luke Lewis, who was having an ultrasound on his thumb on Monday afternoon after already undergoing an X-ray.
The Warriors have lost New Zealand Test centre Jerome Ropati for the season with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.
The 26-year-old faces a full knee reconstruction.
"It's devastating for Jerome, I just feel so sorry for him," coach Ivan Cleary said.
Parramatta hooker Casey McGuire received some good news on his calf injury and is expected to miss just this weekend's game against North Queensland.
Brisbane will be without fullback Josh Hoffman (shin) for Friday night's clash with the Panthers, while Gold Coast fear Queensland forward Ashley Harrison could miss several games with a hamstring problem.
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