With six weeks to go until the 2020 NRL season begins, most players are reaching peak fitness - but Canterbury Bulldogs skipper Josh Jackson and forward Raymond Faitala-Mariner have suffered setbacks.

The club's inspirational skipper in Jackson suffered a broken nose at training recently, and has undergone surgery this week.

The good news for the 29-year old is that he should be ready to go for the Bulldogs upcoming trial matches.

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Things don't look so rosy for the Samoan international however, who has undergone surgery to repair a syndesmosis injury to his left ankle.

The 26-year old will be sidelined for 8-10 weeks, meaning he could miss up to four rounds of the NRL season.

It's not ideal for Canterbury, who are already without playmaker Kieran Foran for a large portion of 2020 after he picked up a shoulder injury in an international game for New Zealand in late-2019.

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The likes of Sausao Sue, Marcelo Montoya and Jeremy Marshall-King are also fighting to be fit for Round 1 of the competition.

The Bulldogs kick off their 2020 campaign against the Parramatta Eels on March 12th at Bankwest Stadium.