THE Dragons’ premiership hopes have taken another huge hit, with the club revealing representative prop Paul Vaughan has suffered a season-ending foot injury at training.

The 27-year-old was due to return either this weekend or next from syndesmosis injury he was battling but a “freak incident” on Tuesday has ruled him out for their entire finals charge.

“Paul suffered a season-ending injury to his foot in a freak incident at training,” Dragons Head of Athletic Performance Nathan Pickworth told the club’s wesbite.

“Paul’s foot injury occurred on the opposite leg to the one he previously suffered against the New Zealand Warriors in Round 21.”

It is understood Vaughan made it through the training session, including contact drills, but limped off at the end.

The club assumed it was soreness after his two weeks out, but scans later revealed his season had been cut prematurely short.

Vaughan was understandably shattered.

“I’m devastated that my season has come to an end so suddenly today,” he said.

“However, I’ll continue to support the boys for the rest of the year, and I look forward to coming back bigger and better in 2019.”

Vaughan is one of the most damaging big-boppers in the game and played for the Blues in all three Origins in 2018, so it’s a huge loss for the fourth-placed Dragons.