A sharp change of direction left the 23-year-old with a ruptured ACL,ruling him out for the 2024 campaign and depriving the Redcliffe-based outfit of their star lock.
Stone,who has been on restricted training duties early in the week to manage his comeback from his own shoulder surgery,will now tussle with the likes of Kenny Bromwich,rookie Max Plath and even star recruit Tom Flegler for the No.13 jumper,having donned the jersey at times last year with Gilbert sidelined.
While there are options at coach Wayne Bennett’s disposal,Dolphins prop Jarrod Wallace suggested the similar aggressive style of Stone could make him the like-for-like replacement ahead of their season launch against the Cowboys on March 10.
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“Ray played there for a bit last year,so we’ll just wait and see what Wayne[Bennett] does,” Wallace said.
“We’ve got some fantastic players there,and Ray could obviously fit in there – he’s a very similar kind of player to Tommy.
“We’ve got some bigger bodies in Flegs – he played 13 at Broncs – myself and Kenny Bromwich. Whoever does fill in that position next week they have to make sure they do the job,which they will.