Len Ikitau will miss the start of the Wallabies' Test campaign after suffering a hamstring tear at training, forcing Joe Schmidt to find a new option at outside centre.
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The ACT Brumbies strike weapon suffered the setback little more than a week out from Saturday's opening Test against Wales at the Sydney Football Stadium.
Ikitau looked poised to win back the Wallabies' No.13 jersey after being overlooked by Eddie Jones for last year's disastrous World Cup campaign after an impressive Super Rugby season in Canberra.
But - after being sidelined with a shoulder injury during last year's Rugby Championship - Ikitau will now be forced to spend more time on the sidelines as the Wallabies prepare for their first Tests under Schmidt.
Josh Flook and Filipo Daugunu have emerged as the frontrunners in the race to the outside centre position.
Ikitau's injury blow comes after Kurtley Beale suffered a suspected Achilles injury in a Shute Shield game after being released from the Schmidt's 38-man squad.
Beale fired in his return to Super Rugby with the Western Force but the 95-Test veteran was perhaps unlikely to feature in the opening Test against Wales.
The veteran fullback returned to Sydney club rugby in Randwick's 50-37 win over Eastern Suburbs, but left the field in the 59th minute with an injury which could douse his hopes of becoming the first Indigenous Australia to reach 100 caps for the Wallabies.
Meanwhile, the Brumbies have seven players in Jo Yapp's Wallaroos squad for a clash with Fiji as uncapped trio Allana Sikimeti, Biola Dawa and Lydia Kavoa continue to push for a Test debut
"We've had a really good few days at the AIS in Canberra preparing for the next two Test matches," Yapp said.
"The players have taken a noticeable step up over the last few weeks and our intra squad match on Saturday was a great opportunity to prepare and play at Test match level.
"The camp and game has given opportunities for new faces to join the squad and it's important for us to keep building together with the World Cup just over 12 months away."
Also on the international scene, Australia opened their World Rugby under 20s championship campaign with a 35-11 comeback victory over Georgia in Cape Town.
Captained by Uni-Norths lock Toby Macpherson, Australia piled on 29 unanswered points despite losing props Jack Barrett and Tevita Alatini to injury during the game, and playing 20 minutes with 14 men after lock Harvey Cordukes was red-carded.
"[The second half] was much better from the lads. A bit more patient, we built phases and kept applying pressure," Macpherson said.