SAINTS prop Josh Perry may have played his last game for St Helens.

The big front rower, who is off contract at the end of the year, needs an operation to repair damage to a torn pectoral muscle.

Perry, who has endured an injury plagued three seasons at Langtree Park, tried to come back after eight weeks in rehab.

But it is now obvious that only surgery can correct the damage, which is likely to put him out for the remainder of the 2013 campaign.

Coach Nathan Brown said: “When he hurt his pectoral muscle at the start of the year the best case scenario was that he does not need an op.

“The second scenario was that he has an op and is finished for the whole season.

“The third was for him to have a shot at rehab for eight weeks.

“That was always a 50/50 it would happen. He has come back and tried to play – but he needs an op.

“If he was a younger player he would had the op earlier on, but he is 32/33 and out of contract and desperately wanted to play.

“But his pec is not right and it is highly likely that this will finish his year but not his career.”