Penrith’s Dallin Watene-Zelezniak has been sidelined indefinitely after being hospitalised with a collapsed lung.
The Panthers outside back was admitted to hospital on Tuesday after the onset of a condition that results in the accumulation of air in the space between the lungs and chest cavity.
Watene-Zelezniak has primary spontaneous pneumothorax, a genetic condition that leads to the rupture of small sacs of air in the lungs.
The club does not know if his condition was triggered by a physical blow and his playing future has been put on hold.
It is a massive blow for the Panthers, who are already without regular fullback Matt Moylan (ankle) until round 23.
Watene-Zelezniak has excelled since stepping in to assume the No.1 jumper in Moylan’s absence.
Reckon you can pick the winning team? Build your own dream team with Draftstars daily fantasy and compete on any match. For great odds on the NRL head on over to PlayUp. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.
The Panthers' system covers most situations, but how would it cope without iron man Dylan Edwards?
The paradox of parity is that even though we’re told we should want a wide open competition, the NRL seems to be more interesting…
Paul Gallen on 100% Footy has questioned how the bunker, touch judge and referee all missed what should've been a sin-bin after a Wests…
Penrith have cruised to a 22-6 win over the Wests Tigers in Bathurst - but Benji Marshall was left bemused by a potentially match-changing…
Who are the hardest working big men in the NRL?
This one will hurt. James Fisher-Harris’ unexpected exit from Penrith to the Warriors at season’s end not only has ramifications for those two clubs…
