Brisbane have suffered a major blow in the quest to defend their NRL premiership title with workhorse Pat Carrigan ruled out of action until around mid-July.
The Broncos confirmed the Queensland and Australia forward had surgery to repair an ankle syndesmosis injury suffered in their 30-26 loss to St George Illawarra on Sunday and is expected to be sidelined for approximately six weeks.
During that period, Brisbane have two byes in the NRL and the 28-year-old is expected to miss matches against Gold Coast, South Sydney, the Sydney Roosters and Cronulla, plus the remainder of the State of Origin series.
