Samu Kerevi is in doubt for the remainder of The Rugby Championship as rehabilitation on his ruptured biceps stalls.
Kerevi suffered the injury in the June Test window and went under the knife in early July.
While it was initially thought to be an injury which would end his season Wallabies staff were hopeful of a return for the star centre during their tour of South Africa and Argentina.
The first of those two games - against the Springboks in Port Elizabeth - is just one month away but Kerevi said he is still at least two months away from returning to the field.
"Rehab is coming along quite slow but I want to do it properly before I get back to playing," Kerevi said.
"Probably another eight to 10 weeks until I'm back playing."
The 24-year-old is making the most of the time away from the game by joining a Classic Wallabies trip to his native Fiji.
Cuvu College in Sigatoka was the lucky recipient of a coaching clinic run by Kerevi, Radike Samo and Lote Tuqiri - Mitch Chapman, Sam Cordingley, Stephen Hoiles, Jimmy Holbeck, Rob Horne, Stephen Moore, Patrick Phibbs, Beau Robinson and Morgan Turinui the other big names set to line up against Fiji Legends in Saturday's NRC curtain raiser.
NRC is the likely pathway for Kerevi's long awaited return, though Brisbane City will have to make the finals to have the centre feature in their starting XV.
"I've told them to make the finals," Kerevi said.
"Hopefully then in the back end of NRC I can get back and play some more footy."
From there Kerevi is hopeful of a return to the national setup on the Spring Tour, though he acknowledges the astute job Reece Hodge did at No. 13 during the ill-fated Bledisloe campaign.
"I thought he did an awesome job," Kerevi said.
"There's a lot of depth in that spot still.
"We have Curtis Rona and Billy Meakes who can play there as well.
"I know results haven't gone their way but this week gives them an opportunity to reset and then come out strong when they go into camp on Sunday.
"They've just got to stay close together and go again."
