Farrell suffered the injury in a tackle on Melbourne’s  Justin O’Neill midway through the first half of the Dragons’  28-24 loss to the Storm on Monday night.

Scans  confirmed the worst possible scenario for the hard-running centre.

Dragons performance director Andrew Gray said medical staff were yet to set a date for Farrell’s return but  it was  unlikely that the injury will be season-ending.

“Dylan has had his pectoral muscle repaired and we’ve already sighted him after the surgery,” Gray said.

“He’s focused on his rehabilitation and will be in a sling for a few weeks and then we’ll get started.

“We don’t have a definitive time frame when he will be back but he’ll definitely be available to play for us again this season at some stage.”

The Dragons are yet to name a replacement for Farrell with utility   Peter Mata’utia and Charly Runciman the leading contenders. Coach Steve Price could also shift Joel Thompson from the back row.

Dragons halfback Michael Witt, who plays inside Farrell on the right edge, said he was  confident whoever Steve Price  selected would do the job against the Warriors.

‘‘To lose Dylan is a shame because I think he was starting to play some really good footy,’’ Witt said. ‘‘There’s probably four or five options to put in that spot. It’ll be up to Pricey and whoever he sees fit, but I’m very confident in whoever gets the gig there.’’