Josh Addo-Carr's hopes of receiving a NSW recall later in the State of Origin series have been thwarted by a hamstring injury that is set to sideline him until August.
Canterbury football boss Phil Gould confirmed on Saturday morning the 15-time Blues winger, overlooked for next week's Origin I, would miss between eight and 10 weeks after going off during Friday's win at Newcastle.
Addo-Carr was substituted out of the Bulldogs' 32-2 victory just after halftime, with scans on Saturday morning revealing a high-grade hamstring tear.
The injury blow comes after NSW coach Michael Maguire chose St George Illawarra flyer Zac Lomax and Penrith's Brian To'o over Addo-Carr as wingers for the series opener on June 5.
Addo-Carr had underlined his claims for a recall by scoring two tries in the win over Newcastle, his first game since being overlooked by Maguire.
But with the final match of the series to be played on July 17 - just over six weeks away - Addo-Carr will not feature for the Blues in 2024.
The loss of the flying winger is also a blow to the improving Bulldogs, who are eyeing their first finals berth since 2016.
"He's one of our top players right now. He's a leader in our team as well," Bulldogs captain and NSW centre Stephen Crichton said.
Newcastle prop Jacob Saifiti can accept a $3000 fine for headbutting Reed Mahoney late in Friday night's game.
The former NSW representative was charged with grade-one striking for the offence that landed him in the sin bin, but will only face suspension if he unsuccessfully pleads his case at the judiciary.
