Dublin captain Paul Griffin has ruptured cruciate knee ligaments and as a result will miss the rest of the season.
The Kilmacud Crokes clubman picked up the injury during the Allianz NFL Division One clash with Monaghan at Parnell Park last Saturday.
Griffin had hoped that the news might not be as bad as initially feared but his worst fears were confirmed on Thursday and he will now undergo surgery early next week.
Dublin boss Pat Gilroy will name his team to face Cork in Saturday night's top-of-the-table league clash at Pairc Ui Rinn with vice-captain Barry Cahill the most obvious replacement for Griffin.
Despite the setback, Griffin insists the reigning Leinster champions, top of the league after four wins from four, have lots of defensive options and can maintain their good form.
"We'll keep building, we've had a couple of good performances and I think we can continue that," Griffin said.
"A lot of young guys have come in and done very well.
"It's still all about building towards that game against Wexford in the summer."