Penrith halfback Nathan Cleary will be out for at least eight weeks with a reoccurrence of a hamstring injury. Cleary has undergone scans which confirmed a grade two hamstring tear, ruling him out of the entire State of Origin series.
The news comes as another blow to New South Wales, who lost Tom Trbojevic to a similar injury on Thursday night.
It's the third time Cleary has injured the same hamstring in about a year. The Panthers are considering the various treatment options available to them, and have not ruled out a trip overseas.
Halves partner Jarome Luai said Cleary was understandably heartbroken by the latest setback.
"He's done it three times in a row now so it will be frustrating for him. It's not really about Origin, it's about his well-being and about his health at the end of the day," Luai told NRL.com.
"He loves his footy and he wants to play with the boys. He just wants to play footy with the boys in general, so it's about him and his mind now, and his well-being.
"I feel for him, I know what he's feeling, but we've got good energy amongst this team, and we'll get it running for sure."
Cleary's misfortune could open the door for Cronulla playmaker Nicho Hynes to start at halfback for NSW, with Parramatta's Mitch Moses facing his own race against time to recover from a foot fracture.
State of Origin squads will be named on May 27, ahead of Game 1 on June 5.