Bulldogs forward Kane Cleal's season is almost certainly over after he suffered a horrific fractured jaw against the Sharks yesterday.

Cleal, who joined the Dogs this season, left the field in the 46th minute following a seemingly innocuous tackle made by Sharks prop Ben Ross at Toyota Park.

He was rushed to the emergency department at Baulkham Hills Private Hospital straight after the match and was having his jaw wired as his teammates celebrated what may be a season-defining victory.

"It's one of the worst broken jaws I have ever seen," Bulldogs doctor Hugh Hazard said.

Officials apparently did not notice the incident and it was not put on report, but Bulldogs prop Mark O'Meley confirmed that Ross had hit Cleal "around the chops". The prop was next to Cleal when his head snapped back.

"It was Ross, he got him high," said O'Meley, who tried to gain a penalty from the tackle and have Ross put on report. "There was a break in the game and I told [the referee that] Kane had had his jaw broken but he didn't see it and he did nothing. His jaw was bad."

In the Sharks dressing-room a defiant Ross reckoned he couldn't remember collecting Cleal. There were no denials, just amnesia. "I wouldn't have a clue, I don't know," he said. "If he has broken his jaw, he would be in a fair bit of pain to remember."

Bulldogs football manager Brad Clyde said the club would look at replays today before deciding on whether to lodge a complaint with the NRL's match review committee.

Cleal had been in strong form from the bench this season after joining the Bulldogs on a two-year deal. His famous father, Noel, advised Kane to move to Belmore because he believed it would be good for his son's career.

Ross was also the victim of a high shot yesterday, from Bulldogs back-rower Sonny Bill Williams in the 42nd minute. He was momentarily knocked out after Williams collected him with a late shoulder charge.

But after the match, Williams insisted he did not hit Ross high intentionally.

"I don't know what happened," Williams said. "I didn't do it on purpose. I'm not that sort of player. I'm sure Ben knows that. If I did get him high, I'm sorry. But I didn't do it on purpose."

Meanwhile, the Bulldogs have made a one-year offer to hooker Corey Hughes but have also been in discussions with former Sharks and Warrington hooker Mick Sullivan.

Hughes said he would have preferred to have been offered a longer contract but he also had some options overseas. Before the season began, the club was upfront about its intention to make a choice between Hughes and one of his best friends, Adam Perry, who has not yet received an offer from the club.

"I will sit down with my family and have a chat and make a fairly quick decision," said Hughes last night.

He added that if he left the club, he hoped they would offer Perry a contract.

Hughes, 29, said he didn't consider himself the last of the Hughes dynasty at the Bulldogs, and he was uncertain if his name was a help or a hindrance at the club, following the departure of his football manager father, Garry Hughes, and the playing careers of brothers Glen and Stephen, and uncles Mark and Graeme. "I don't see myself like that, I just try to be part of the team," Hughes said.

Meanwhile, Cowboys halfback Johnathan Thurston is expected to be fit to play against the Broncos at Dairy Farmers Stadium on Friday, despite leaving the field with a hip flexor injury against the Warriors on Saturday.

"Johnathan is a lot better today," North Queensland chief executive Peter Parr said yesterday. "He should be fine for Friday. We also look like getting [second-rower] Jacob Lillyman back for that game."

However, the news wasn't as good for another of the game's top halfbacks, Gold Coast's Scott Prince, who still had his arm in a sling yesterday after being hurt playing against Brisbane on Friday. He is unlikely to recover from the injury in time to play against the Raiders at Canberra Stadium on Sunday.

Titans football manager Scott Sattler yesterday said that although tests had cleared Prince of serious injury after he was slammed in the shoulder by a tackler as he got a kick away, the halfback was still very tender.

"Scott's wearing a sling because it hurts too much for him to drop his arm at this stage," Sattler said. "He's still very sore in the area where the collarbone meets the sternum and I'd be surprised if he plays next week. He may have to miss that one on doctor's advice."