THE injury that rules Joe Philbin out of next weekend's Challenge Cup Final will also see him miss a significant chunk of the season.

The Warrington Wolves prop forward suffered an adductor muscle injury during Saturday's win over Catalans Dragons and yesterday, head coach Sam Burgess said it was likely to keep him out of the Wembley date with Wigan Warriors.

Now, further assessment has revealed more serious damage with the club confirming the 29-year-old is set to miss around 10 weeks of action.

The Wire announced that Philbin had undergone successful surgery on the issue today and that his road to recovery is underway.

He is the third Warrington player to have suffered a long-term injury this season - scrum-half Leon Hayes suffered a fracture dislocation of his ankle at Salford last month while prop Luke Thomas suffered an ACL injury during pre-season.

The anticipated 10-week absence would mean head coach Sam Burgess is unable to call upon Philbin, who has played in every game this season bar one, until the first week of August - a period that includes nine matches.

Using that timeline, the earliest possible return date for Philbin would be the trip to London Broncos in Round 21 of Super League on August 11.