St George Illawarra Dragons halfback Benji Marshall has been ruled out of the fixture against the Gold Coast Titans at Cbus Super Stadium, Robina on Saturday.
The pivot has been unable to overcome an ongoing hamstring strain despite training midweek and will continue his rehabilitation.
Dragons utility Josh McCrone is most likely to partner co-captain Gareth Widdop in the halves whilst fullback Adam Quinlan has been named as 18th man.
“Benji has succumbed to the same hamstring injury in the same spot which is disappointing and we thought it best he continue with his rehabilitation.
“He pulled-up tighter than he previously had in that area and we will examine him next week to see if he is right to play against the Sydney Roosters.
“The most important thing with Benji is he wants to get out there and help the team and he’s frustrated as we all are that he cannot play.
“We know that if you come back to early with this trype of injury it can extend the length on the side line so we need to be patient and make sure he returns at a hundred percent.
“It has been an ongoing issue since the opening round of the season so our staff are working hard to help him as he is an important player in our squad.”
