The NSW Waratahs' most capped player in history Benn Robinson may never play another game of football and is weighing up his future after being told by doctors a serious eye injury is likely to force him into premature retirement.
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Robinson, 31, underwent surgery on his right eye after being accidently poked in the eye by Brumbies second-rower Rory Arnold during the Waratahs' 26-20 loss on April 16.
There was hope Robinson would return in a matter of weeks for NSW, but the man with 155 appearances for his state might have taken part in his last game of football, such is the seriousness of the injury.
Waratahs coach Daryl Gibson confirmed Robinson would not be back this season and said he was going through a "frustrating" time weighing up whether or not he'll ever run onto a football field ever again.
"He certainly hasn't been medically cleared and it seems that could potentially rule him out for the season, if not career, so it's pretty serious for him," Gibson told Fairfax Media.
"Without talking for him I think those are the decisions that he's certainly confronted with. It's weighing up those risks for him. Certainly for him his eye is not stable enough at all to contemplate a return to play.
"It's a very frustrating time for him because he can't do any exercise or anything that will raise pressure. At the moment he's resting and we're all hoping for the best outcome around his eyesight more than anything."
Gibson said the playing group were rallying around Robinson who now faces the real possibility of having to give up football altogether after it was discovered the injury was more serious than first thought.
Robinson still has impaired vision after the surgery on his retina and is unable to do any physical exercise for the next five to six weeks. He has, however, been around the Waratahs squad at various points since his operation.
"The advice from a medical point of view is you need five to six weeks after the surgery to rest, so it's a difficult one for him," Gibson said.
"A very frustrating time because he was just coming back into nailing that starting loosehead spot and working himself back into some decent form. He's been at the Waratahs for a long time and Australian rugby for a long time. I don't think he's in the space to call time yet, but I certainly know the medical advice around that is certainly leaning that way."
It appears unlikely Robinson will make a decision on his future anytime soon. Once he has gone through his rehabilitation he will be a little closer to knowing about his future, but there is no urgency to make a decision of any kind.
Robinson, one of the most liked and highly-respected characters in Australian rugby, is said to be shattered by the news from doctors that an early retirement is something he needs to seriously consider.
The Waratahs were under the impression Robinson would be able to return this season after his surgery, but now they have all but conceded he won't be back for the rest of 2016.
"He's not very good," said Waratahs club captain Dave Dennis last month. "We all had a bit of a laugh about it. You would have thought he broke his leg the way he went down, but it is actually a serious injury."
Debuting for the Waratahs in 2004, 'Cat' – as he is affectionately known - has chalked up 155 games for his NSW of which 148 are Super Rugby caps.
He holds the record for the most games for NSW as well as most number of caps as a prop; a milestone he achieved in 2014.
Robinson has played 72 Tests for the Wallabies after making his debut in 2006 against South Africa in Johannesburg and is also the president of the Rugby Union Players' Association.
