Injury update

Manly cult hero George Rose will have a second operation on his right ankle after suffering an horrific injury in the Sea Eagles' 13-12 win over Melbourne on Saturday.

Giant prop Rose suffered a season-ending compound fracture to his fibula and a bad tear to his deltoid ligament when his ankle was twisted sideways in a tackle. He underwent a three-hour operation on Sunday morning and now requires a second round of surgery to reduce the risk of infection.

A club spokesperson says the popular prop - who has developed his own fan base with his old school style of play - has been swamped by support from well-wishers.

In-form Storm fullback Billy Slater will be sidelined for six weeks after scans and surgery on his fractured cheekbone revealed the injury was worse than first thought.

Melbourne officials thought they would have their star custodian on the sidelines for a month, and had their fingers crossed he would return in a fortnight for their round 13 clash with New Zealand Warriors.

However Slater had to have plates inserted into two fractures, ruling out any hope of breaking into the Queensland line-up in this year's Origin series.

In the past week the Storm have also lost Queensland prop Antonio Kaufusi for the season with a knee injury, while second-rower Michael Crocker finally succumbed to his shoulder injury and underwent surgery today, ruling him out for three months.