Canterbury Bulldogs winger Marcelo Montoya is set to miss at least the next six weeks after undergoing a procedure on his neck.
The winger, who is in his second stint at the blue and white after rejoining the club this year following a four-year stint at the New Zealand Warriors, has scored 8 tries in 15 appearances this year.
The winger has been a walk-up starter for Canterbury when fit after missing the start of the year, and it’s almost unarguable that he is in career-best form.
His absence will hit the Bulldogs hard over the next six weeks, with News Corp reporting he has been playing through pain for a significant length of time from a bone in his neck to his shoulder.
They are reporting Montoya will go under the knife on Tuesday to repair the problem, with an expected return timeline of the Round 25 clash in Victoria against the Melbourne Storm.
In the meantime, he will miss games against the North Queensland Cowboys (away), St George Illawarra Dragons (home), Manly Sea Eagles (home), Wests Tigers (away), New Zealand Warriors (home) and Sydney Roosters (away).
The Bulldogs could turn to a specialist winger to replace him, with Enari Tuala and Blake Wilson regularly out of the 17 for Cameron Ciraldo this year, but they could also use it to fix another issue.
The signing of Lachlan Galvin has created too many cooks in the kitchen at Belmore.
At full strength, their backline would be likely to read Connor Tracey at fullback, Montoya and Jacob Kiraz on the wings, Stephen Crichton and Bronson Xerri in the centres, and Matt Burton partnering Toby Sexton – who heads to France at the end of the year – in the halves.
Last weekend, with Crichton and Kiraz away on Origin camp, Ciraldo played Tuala on the wing, but shuffled Matt Burton into the centres, with Galvin playing five-eighth and Sexton at halfback.
That left Blake Wilson out of the side after being named there on Tuesday, but also seemed to be an admission that neither Burton or Galvin will play at halfback.
This move could ultimately shuffle things around in the backline to the point that Galvin and Sexton are the regular halves combination, with Burton lining up in the centres, although that would require either Xerri or Crichton to fill the vacant wing spot.
Canterbury will name their team to play the Cowboys on the road this weekend at 4pm (AEST) on Tuesday afternoon.
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