The Canterbury Bulldogs have suffered a “nasty” blow ahead of their Friday night clash with the Knights, with Viliame Kikau set to be sidelined for up to six weeks.
Kikau suffered a compound fracture to his ring finger during the Bulldogs’ 44-12 victory over the Dragons last week, with the 29-year-old due to undergo surgery on Monday morning.
Currently ranked sixth on the Dally M leaderboard, the powerhouse forward has been a major threat on the left-edge for the Bulldogs and helped push the side into finals contention.
Canterbury general manager Phil Gould revealed the news on X.
“Viliame Kikau will undergo surgery today, to repair a nasty compound fracture of his ring finger, sustained during last week’s game,” he wrote.
“Recovery time is expected to be from four to six weeks depending on the surgery today.”
The possible replacements for Kikau in the starting line-up are Jacob Preston and Josh Curran, with the Bulldogs yet to announce who will move to the opposite edge to Jaeman Salmon.
Kikau has played all 11 games for the Bulldogs this year, recording seven line breaks, 18 offloads, and averaging 115 metres per game.
The Bulldogs, who are currently 10th on the premiership ladder, will be without skipper Stephen Crichton and five-eighth Matt Burton during Friday night’s clash against the Knights, with the duo in NSW Origin camp.
