Injuries threaten NRL finals, with 24 players sidelined or struggling to participate.
An injury crisis has hit some of the leading premiership contenders at the worst time of year and it threatens to overshadow week one of the NRL finals.
As many as 24 players across the eight finals teams are either out for the season or are racing to play a part in the playoffs.
In Friday night's Melbourne blockbuster alone, the Storm and Bulldogs will be missing as many as seven players through injury and suspension.