Wests Tigers' Jacob Liddle has sustained a posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) tear following his team's victory over the Sydney Roosters in a trial match on the weekend.
The 25-year-old suffered an apparent knee injury in the game on Friday but was able to continue on until half-time.
The nature of the injury has now been confirmed, with the hooker set to miss the first four to six rounds of the 2022 season.
Due to the injury being isolated, surgery will not be required.
He has had a difficult run of injuries during his time in the NRL, including a serious knee reconstruction in 2019 that sidelined him for close to a year.
Liddle's status adds to a growing injury list in Leichhardt which notably features Tommy Talau and Adam Doueihi, who are both recovering from ACL injuries.
Doueihi is expected to be involved again around mid-season, whilst Talau's return timetable is unclear.
The Tigers will also be without the experienced James Tamou for their first match of the new season after he took an early guilty plea for a dangerous tackle.
