Bulldogs suffer another injury setback following defeat to Rabbitohs.

The Canterbury Bulldogs will be without Jacob Preston in the upcoming weeks due to a hairline fracture of the jaw, as confirmed by recent scans.

Preston, a second-rower, sustained the injury during the Bulldogs’ narrow loss to the South Sydney Rabbitohs on Good Friday, following a head clash in the second half of the match.

After the incident, Preston remained motionless on the ground for several seconds, prompting the club’s medical staff to conduct a head injury assessment. Despite initially being assessed with Grade 2 symptoms, which allowed him to undertake the assessment and potentially return to play upon passing, Preston continued to experience discomfort.

Although Preston was permitted to return to the field following the assessment, it has since been revealed that he played the remainder of the game with a hairline fracture of the jaw, as confirmed by scans conducted on Saturday morning.

As a result of the injury, Preston is expected to miss at least three weeks of action for the Bulldogs. His absence will coincide with that of Josh Addo-Carr, who sustained Grade 1 concussion symptoms during the same match. Addo-Carr will be subject to the mandatory 11-day stand-down period, meaning he will also be unavailable for the upcoming clash against the Sydney Roosters.

Preston is likely to miss subsequent matches, including Round 6 against the Melbourne Storm and Round 7 against the Newcastle Knights, before potentially returning to action in Round 9 against the Wests Tigers following a bye week.