St George Illawarra risk losing key players as they push towards the NRL finals after Kyle Flanagan was accused of biting Stephen Crichton in a 28-10 loss to Canterbury.
Bulldogs centre Crichton lodged an official complaint with referee Gerard Sutton on Saturday night, alleging Flanagan bit his nose as he tackled the five-eighth at Jubilee Oval.
The incident in the second half went unpenalised on-field and left Crichton bleeding from his nose.
The captain was unable to front the post-match press conference as he sought medical attention, replaced by second-rower Viliame Kikau.
"His nose is a bit swollen there but (we haven't spoken) in great detail," said Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo.
"He's getting a few things checked.
"I don't know what to say about it, really, so we'll leave it there."
Any potential ban would rub Flanagan out as the eighth-placed Dragons fight to lock up their first finals berth since 2018.
The alleged bite came after Dragons prop forward Hame Sele was taken to hospital in the first half suffering from an irregular heartbeat.
Sele complained of chest pains to a Dragons trainer during his opening stint but appeared in good spirits as he was taken from the clash between this season's two most-improved sides.
"It's a bit of a concern. I don't want to comment too much on it because I don't know the full details," said Dragons coach Shane Flanagan.
Adding to the Dragons' woes, centre Moses Suli is set for scans after leaving the field with a suspected medial cruciate ligament injury in the final 10 minutes.
"It doesn't look good," Flanagan said of Suli's injury.
An 18,416-strong crowd of divided loyalty made the round-23 clash the highest-attended in Kogarah since before the coronavirus pandemic.
But it was the fans in blue and white that would have felt on top all night, with a first-half double from Bronson Xerri helping the Bulldogs keep their rivals at bay for the majority of proceedings.
A shoulder injury to Reed Mahoney was the only blight for the Bulldogs, though the hooker managed to ride an exercise bike while on the bench - a sign he was prepared to return.
It was replacement Kurt Mann who sealed victory only minutes after Mahoney came from the field, spinning out of Blake Lawrie's tackle to extend the advantage to three tries midway through the second half.
"(Mahoney) could've kept playing," Ciraldo said.
"But Kurt Mann was playing awesome, I feel like it was his best game for the club so far."
The Bulldogs' win continues a season of transformation under Cameron Ciraldo, who has the long-time strugglers a win outside the top four ahead of the competition's final month.
The loss leaves the Dragons likely requiring three wins from their final four games to guarantee a top-eight berth, though they could qualify with fewer, pending other results.
Dragons halfback Ben Hunt had a tough night fighting to keep his side in the top eight for another weekend.
He set the Dragons' first try up with a kick to favourite partner-in-crime Zac Lomax but was at the centre of more than one spillage as the Saints battled to apply pressure to Canterbury's elite defence.
Rival halfback Toby Sexton was instrumental to the Bulldogs' 20-10 halftime lead, sending a grubber into the in-goal for Xerri then helping the centre bag his second with a beautiful flat ball.
Xerri's double came after Matt Burton picked off a pass from Hunt and dashed 80 metres to open the scoring inside four minutes.
