ST HELENS hooker Daryl Clark is set to be sidelined for the next eight weeks with an ankle injury.
Clark suffered ligament damage during Saints’ agonising 16-14 defeat to rivals Wigan Warriors at Magic Weekend.
The England man has been a key figure in his three seasons with Saints and has only missed three games this year.
An eight-week timeframe would see the 33-year-old return for the final two rounds of the regular season.
His absence will be a significant blow for the run-in as Paul Rowley’s side attempt to arrest a recent slide and secure a play-off place.
In a brutal game at Hill Dickinson Stadium which had many injury victims on each side, David Klemmer suffered three broken ribs and is set to be sidelined for several weeks.
Alex Walmsley and George Delaney will also be missing from Saints’ depleted pack for Sunday’s home match against Toulouse Olympique, having failed head-injury assessments against Wigan.
They are already without Matty Lees and Jake Wingfield for the season with knee injuries, Matt Whitley with a wrist injury and Noah Stephens indefinitely due to nerve damage.
And things are little better in the backs with Mark Percival (hamstring), Deon Cross (bicep) and Lewis Murphy (elbow) missing from the threequarter line along with halfbacks Jonny Lomax (jaw) and George Whitby (knee).