Luckless Dragons utility Bronx Goodwin is facing another extended stint on the sidelines, with scans today expected to confirm the 29-year-old will need surgery to repair a torn pectoral muscle.
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Goodwin's stop-start St George Illawarra career received another body blow in the Dragons' trial loss to North Queensland, with the ex-Raider and Shark reeling out of a tackle in the third quarter at Cairns' Barlow Park on Saturday night.
Goodwin had replaced representative winger Brett Morris just before half-time.
"Bronx sustained a contact injury to his pectoral muscle and he will have scans [today] to confirm the severity of the injury," said Dragons high performance director Andrew Gray.
Since joining St George Illawarra ahead of the 2010 season, Goodwin has managed just five first-grade games as several long-term injuries hampered his chance to stake a claim on a regular NRL spot.
He excelled during 20 appearances for the Illawarra Cutters in the NSW Cup last season and was tipped to provide invaluable cover in the outside backs for the 2013 season.
Dragons skipper Ben Creagh said yesterday Goodwin remained upbeat about the latest setback.
"I don't know how many injuries he's had, but he's had the worst luck I've known for a footy player," Creagh said.
"He trained extremely hard and for that to happen to him again it's not good. He's in pretty good spirits at the moment."
Gray confirmed front-row bookends Michael Weyman and Dan Hunt were on schedule to return for the Charity Shield showdown with Souths at ANZ Stadium on Friday night.
The pair weren't part of the Dragons' travelling squad to Cairns, with Matt Prior and Jack de Belin deputising as the starting props.