NRL: Vatuvei's shin may put him out for weeks

The Warriors are sweating on a CT on Manu Vatuvei’s injured shin, which could reveal hidden damage on the bone. Photo / Getty Images

The Warriors are sweating on the results of a CT scan on Manu Vatuvei's injured shin today, with the star winger likely to miss between one and six weeks depending on the severity of the damage.

Vatuvei was still suffering significant pain yesterday and was unable to bear weight on his injured leg.

While an initial x-ray cleared him of a serious fracture, a CT scan could reveal hidden damage to the bone - such as a spiral fracture - which would sideline the club's talisman for up to six weeks.

The best possible scenario is that the injury - suffered just minutes into his comeback from a recurring hamstring strain - is entirely soft-tissue damage. That would likely see him return in seven to 10 days, club doctor John Mayhew said.

"We are still worried that he may have an occult fracture [one that does not show up on an x-ray]", Mayhew said. "But it was obviously good news to get the x-ray done and normal.

"The best scenario would be soft-tissue damage, it settles down and he may be okay in a week to 10 days. The worst scenario could be six-plus weeks."

Vatuvei suffered a similar injury against Gold Coast earlier in his career, Mayhew said.

"[That time] it just showed up subtly on the x-ray, but on the scan it was very obvious. We picked it up on the x-ray that time so hopefully my initial misgivings are unfounded. But I won't say we are out of the woods until we've done the scan."

The Warriors have won four out of five games with Vatuvei in the line-up this season and have lost all four games he has missed.

Coach Ivan Cleary revealed he received abuse from fans suspecting Vatuvei had suffered a recurrence of his hamstring injury when the big winger emerged limping from a tackle.

"Anyone who is a supporter, I was thinking what they were thinking - not good," Cleary said.