Wally Lewis has branded the Titans’ injury crisis as one of the worst he has ever witnessed

FORMER Gold Coast Seagulls captain Wally Lewis has branded the Titans’ injury crisis as one of the worst he has ever witnessed.

Jarryd Hayne leaves the ground during the loss to Newcastle. (Photo by Tony Feder/Getty Images)

WALLY Lewis has branded the Titans’ injury crisis as one of the worst he has ever witnessed.

The Gold Coast confirmed on Monday that fullback Jarryd Hayne wouldn’t require surgery after suffering “significant” ligament damage to his ankle in Saturday’s loss to the Knights.

But the star will join a long list of players on the sideline, with the injury set to rule him out for four to six weeks.

After also losing Anthony Don (shoulder) and Karl Lawton (shoulder) at the weekend, the Titans are going through one of their worst injury runs in the club’s 10-year history.

From their NRL squad, 12 players are currently battling an injury of some sort while centre Nathan Davis is unavailable for selection as he seeks a release.

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Jarryd Hayne leaves the ground during the loss to Newcastle. (Photo by Tony Feder/Getty Images)

Former Gold Coast Seagulls captain Lewis said he could not remember a worse injury toll for any club.

“There’s been some horrific injury records in the past but this is as bad as you’ll ever see,” Lewis said.

“They’ve had plenty of luck, unfortunately it’s all been bad. The number of players they have fit at the club ... it’s extraordinary. I don’t remember hearing any worse than that. Things have to turn around for them.”

Coach Neil Henry confirmed that Don and Lawton would be out for up to six weeks, but it is understood Lawton’s shoulder damage was not as bad as Don’s.

Lewis said the one thing the club had to get them through this was Henry’s leadership and their own resilience.

“The one great thing about Neil Henry is he has never been negative,” Lewis said. “He can have all the bad luck in the world but he’ll try to use a positive to inspire the players.

Anthony Don was another weekend casualty. (AAP Image/Darren Pateman)

“We’ve seen in the last couple of years that the less hope it seems the Titans have, the more they turn around and surprise us.

“They were probably hopeful they were going to be able to perform a little bit better this year. But we have to remember we’re only two games into the season.”

The Titans will face the Eels this Friday night and are still weighing up what options they have from the players available to them.

Henry said he could use centre Dan Sarginson (knee) or winger Will Zillman (calf) at fullback if either of them prove fit, while reserve grade utility Tyler Cornish could be called up to make his NRL debut.

Henry echoed Lewis’ sentiment about the injury toll but said the club would not panic, amid reports they were chasing Rooster Dale Copley.

“I don’t think I’ve really had this many out this early in the season for a long time, if ever,” Henry said.

“We’re not panicking. It’s two rounds in. There’s a number of teams that have lost both their games.

“There’s been no formal offer or agreement there (Copley). We’ll wait and see. He could be an outside chance. We’ve got a bit of room there but it’s not something that’s a real quick fix.”

Originally published as Wally Lewis has branded the Titans’ injury crisis as one of the worst he has ever witnessed