The Canterbury Bulldogs will have to navigate upcoming matches without Jacob Preston, who has been confirmed to have suffered a minor jaw fracture. Preston, playing as a second-rower, incurred the injury during the Bulldogs’ recent narrow defeat to the South Sydney Rabbitohs, following a collision in the second half.
Despite lying motionless on the ground for a brief period, Preston was allowed to undergo a head injury assessment, which he passed, enabling his return to the game. However, it has since been disclosed that Preston played the remainder of the match with a hairline jaw fracture. Scans conducted the next day confirmed the injury, projecting his absence from the team for a minimum of three weeks.
This setback coincides with Josh Addo-Carr’s sidelining due to Grade 1 concussion symptoms sustained in a collision with South Sydney’s Latrell Mitchell just before halftime. Addo-Carr’s mandatory 11-day stand-down compounds the Bulldogs’ woes, as they had only recently welcomed him back from injury.
Preston’s anticipated absence extends to key matches against the Sydney Roosters, Melbourne Storm, and Newcastle Knights in Rounds 6 and 7, with a potential return slated for Round 9 against the Wests Tigers after a bye week.