The Warriors have been left sweating on the fitness of Shaun Johnson after he was sent for scans on an ankle injury.
Johnson was placed in a moon boot after damaging his ankle at training this week, and is awaiting the results of the exploratory scans.
Any setback for the star halfback would come as a serious blow for the Warriors, given the way Johnson engineered their finals run last season.
Considered well past his best before the start of 2023, Johnson set up the most tries in the NRL last year as the New Zealand outfit reached the preliminary finals.
Any serious injury would likely rule Johnson out of pre-season matches, while the Warriors’ first-round clash with Cronulla is seven weeks away.
Shaun Johnson of the New Zealand Warriors. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)
The 33-year-old battled a calf injury at the end of last season, after signing a one-year extension with the Warriors.
The Auckland-based club have a fit-again Luke Metcalf and returning Chanel Harris-Tavita as potential halves options alongside Te Maire Martin if Johnson misses any game time.
The Warriors released Ronald Volkman last month to join St George Illawarra, before he failed a medical examination at the Dragons and had his contract pulled.
Volkman is now awaiting a shoulder reconstruction, with questions lingering over whether he will be covered by insurance as an uncontracted player, or face paying out of his own pocket and sitting on a waiting list.
© AAP
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