Canberra and Penrith have both copped enormous injury blows with star back-rowers John Bateman and Viliame Kikau set to be sidelined.
Raiders forward Bateman left the field in the 25th minute after receiving a knock to the head while attempting to tackle Kikau.
The Englishman failed a Head Injury Assessment and was also confirmed to have fractured his eye socket.
Bateman was taken to hospital at half-time to determine the severity of the damage.
Panthers gun Kikau’s ankle and knee twisted awkwardly in the 53rd minute as he was tackled by Sam Williams and Elliott Whitehead.
Kikau bellowed in pain on his way to the turf and Whitehead immediately signalled to the lead referee to stop play.
He was eventually helped from the field by two trainers.
The dynamic ball-runner was just beginning to find his best form having missed the first three games of the season with an MCL issue.
Panthers coach Ivan Cleary confirmed in his press conference that the main concern for Kikau was his ankle.
Penrith’s other starting second-rower Isaah Yeo dislocated his shoulder in the first half, ending his afternoon.
Malakai Watene-Zelezniak also went off after 62 minutes with a ribs complaint.
Bateman has been a revelation for the Raiders after making the move from the Super League, sitting equal-fourth on the Dally M Medal leaderboard prior to this round.
Kikau, meanwhile, is an integral cog in the Panthers’ side and without doubt their most destructive player.
The pair had engaged in an absorbing head-to-head battle in the opening stanza before Bateman left the field.
Canberra scored a 30-12 win to move into third position on the ladder, while Penrith’s record slipped to two wins from eight fixtures.
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