Wests Tigers skipper Moses Mbye is in doubt for round one after suffering a suspected MCL injury in Sunday's trial against the Warriors in New Zealand.
The 26-year-old will go for scans on Tuesday when the team returns to Sydney, where it's expected to be confirmed he will miss up to three weeks, including the season opener against St George Illawarra.
Should Mbye be ruled out it will open the door for Paul Momirovski to slot into the centres after recovering from an ankle injury suffered in last month's NRL Nines.
The Queensland utility joins a growing list of players either in doubt or ruled out of the opening NRL round.
Brisbane, Canberra and Cronulla will be hardest hit with some of their biggest stars confirmed as sidelined.
The Broncos are sweating on skipper Alex Glenn who is dealing with a hamstring injury, while the loss of fellow forwards Matt Lodge (ACL) and Joe Ofahengaue (two-match suspension) has already weakened their pack.
The Raiders are also battling for forward cover with Ryan Sutton facing two weeks on the sidelines for a shoulder charge.
Should he take the early guilty plea he will miss just one game but it is less than ideal with the Raiders already missing John Bateman (shoulder) for up to two months and rising star Hudson Young (suspension) for the first five rounds.
The Sharks are in the midst of a backline crisis with Josh Dugan and Matt Moylan not expected to play the early rounds, while young centre Bronson Xerri is little more than a 50-50 chance for the season opener.
Melbourne prop Nelson Asofa-Solomona is dealing with a hamstring issue and in some doubt to play Manly in round one, with Brandon Smith (facial fractures) and Christian Welch (ACL) also out.
The Sea Eagles were unwilling to risk their stars in their final trial, with Jake Trbojevic and Addin Fonua-Blake recovering from off-season shoulder surgery.
The Warriors are also sweating on skipper Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Agnatius Paasi and Kodi Nikorima who all suffered minor ankle injuries in their final trial against Wests Tigers.
However with two weeks before they open their season against Newcastle on March 14, all are considered a reasonable chance to play.
Meanwhile, South Sydney have confirmed forward Patrick Mago will miss three months after suffering a torn pectoral muscle that requires surgery.
The 24-year-old was pushing for a bench spot and made a big impression in the Charity Shield.
It's less than favourable news for the Rabbitohs who are already dealing with a shortage of forwards after losing John Sutton, Sam Burgess and George Burgess at the end of last season.
Second-rower Jaydn Su'a was also knocked out in Mudgee and will be monitored heading into their opening game against Cronulla on March 14.
from WWOS http://wwos.nine.com.au/nrl/mbye-in-doubt-for-tigers-season-opener/9c20c103-ac88-452c-b150-6b6b0d11fe6c
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