In a potentially devastating blow on the eve of the Lions series, Wallabies playmaker Noah Lolesio is in danger of being ruled out of the three Tests due to injury.

Despite Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt doing his best to play down his playmaker’s injury on Sunday afternoon, The Roar understands the 26-year-old could be ruled out of the upcoming series after being stretchered off during his side’s 21-18 win over Fiji in Newcastle.

Sources have told The Roar his injury, which Schmidt said was likely a bad case of “whiplash”, is much worse than first acknowledged, despite the Wallabies putting out a statement on Sunday evening saying he had been “discharged from hospital” and “cleared of any significant damage”.

It was the third time in the past five matches Lolesio had failed to finish a match and second time he had left on a medicab following his scare against the Force in Perth in early May. Lolesio also copped a heavy hit during the Brumbies’ semifinal loss last month that saw him forced off early.

Lolesio was hit hard from the side in a legal tackle by Fijian flanker Elia Canakaivata after bursting onto an offload from Harry Wilson, but didn’t move for minutes after copping the heavy blow.

Noah Lolesio is in danger of missing the Lions series after copping another injury against Fiji at McDonald Jones Stadium on July 06, 2025 in Newcastle. (Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty Images)

Former Wallabies lock Justin Harrison, who is now the Rugby Union Players’ Association boss, summed up the concern surrounding Lolesio in commentary.

“Real concern shown for Noah here,” Harrison said.

“Head on ground. He’s a brave player, he commits, he’s all in, exposes himself to risk but head on ground – you lose that argument all the time.”

Decorated Wallaby Tim Horan, added: “He had a bad injury when he got tackled like that for the Brumbies and got stretchered off in Super Rugby Pacific.”

Schmidt, however, gave a positive update when he spoke to the media in a post-match interview.

“Noah, I think it was whiplash and his head hit the ground, so I’m hopeful that that’s going to be something that will resolve itself reasonably quickly,” he said.

“But at the same time, we’re going to make sure that he’s OK and we don’t take any risks we don’t need to there, which is the same as Dave Porecki, who came off with an HIA.”

The Wallabies plan on naming their squad to face the Lions on Friday.

Should Lolesio be ruled out, one-Test Wallaby Tane Edmed could be an option to be called up.

The Brumbies bound playmaker, who had a roller-coaster 2025 after being in and out of the Waratahs, is currently in Adelaide with the AUNZ side preparing to face the Lions on Saturday evening.

The 24-year-old spent time with the Wallabies in recent weeks, acting as a non-official member of Schmidt’s 36-man squad for the Fiji Test.

Second-choice Reds playmaker Harry McLaughlin-Phillips is also in Adelaide.

Veteran playmakers Bernard Foley and James O’Connor have also expressed their desire to take on the Lions and met with Schmidt in recent months to discuss whether they would be in the mix.

Joe Schmidt is sweating on the fitness of Noah Lolesio. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

Asked on Sunday by The Roar whether he would entertain calling up an older, experienced playmaker given the injury clouds, including to Tom Lynagh, who missed a couple of weeks of training, Schmidt indicated that he would back the current cohort playing in Australia.

Lolesio has started 12 of the past 14 Tests under Schmidt.

“Noah’s first question was, did we win? He was still very much focused on the game and appeared to be in good shape. That’s the first thing and the most important thing,” Schmidt said.

“The second one (is) we obviously haven’t selected our Lions squad. This was one game that was set before that.

“We will sit down and consider our options but if you had a look at what Ben Donaldson did, I am not sure he didn’t do exactly what he was needed to do. He put us into the corners and did what was needed to make sure we were in the game at the end and got the game done.

“I think we haven’t been together for six months and to have had five training sessions and to be seamless would be an expectation that I hoped for rather than believed would immediately happen. So now we have a short runway to try to improve from where we were today.”

Edmed, meanwhile, is with the AUNZ squad preparing to face the Lions in Adelaide this weekend.

“Getting the chance to come here, meet boys from New Zealand, meet new coaches, new systems – it was really exciting,” Edmed said on Tuesday.

“And then the chance to play the Lions again, and not many people get to do that, so yeah, really special.

“I’m a kid in the candy store at the moment with Fozzy (Foster) and Les (Kiss) and all the coaches, just trying to soak up as much as I can. 

“A lot of people like (Crusaders captain) Dave Havili … just trying to hang on every word and just learn as much as I can in this week.”