Warriors playmaker Kieran Foran is no certainty to take on the Gold Coast Titans on Sunday after a hamstring injury ruled him out of yesterday's 26-12 NRL defeat to St George Illawarra.
Foran suffered the injury in the minutes before kick-off during the team warm-up at UOW Jubilee Stadium before being ruled out of his debut club appearance.
The 26-year-old is due to have the problem assessed later today and is in severe doubt to be fit for Sunday's must-win clash against the Titans at Mt Smart Stadium.
Foran has remained in Sydney to spend time with his two children and will undergo physio treatment there before his scheduled return to Auckland tomorrow.
Five-game rookie Ata Hingano looms as the likely replacement if Foran remains on the sidelines, after the 19-year-old filled in admirably during his absence over the opening three rounds.
"He came into the shed and had felt a bit of a twinge at the top of the hamstring. You wouldn't read about it," said coach Stephen Kearney.
"It's pretty early to tell at this stage. He had pretty good strength in it when he came in, it just didn't feel 100 per cent right and obviously it's been a long layoff for him and the last thing we want to do was make it worse.
"So it's too early to tell. We'll have to see how it pulls up in 24 hours."
The former Manly and Parramatta five-five-eighth has not played in almost a year since suffering a season ending shoulder injury last May before being granted a release from the Eels.
The Kiwis international signed a one-year deal with the Warriors last September and moved to New Zealand to get his life and career in order after battling numerous off-field dramas that saw him spend time in a rehabilitation clinic.
Foran's contract was finally registered by the NRL last month and after serving a two-game suspension over the opening rounds he was declared fit to make his comeback before fate intervened.
The Warriors have now lost three games in a row to leave them languishing in 14th spot on the NRL ladder, with their round one win over Newcastle now a distant memory.
It's imperative they get their campaign back on track with back-to-back home games against the Titans and Eels over the next fortnight before a difficult away trip to face the Raiders in Canberra.