Tim Mannah proved why he is one of the toughest players at Parramatta by returning to the field with a fractured eye socket on Saturday night.
The inspirational Eels leader will miss the next fortnight with the injury that was only picked up by X-ray on Monday.
Tough customer: Tim Mannah.
Kaysa Pritchard will also be sidelined for the next couple of weeks after he refused to let a groin injury keep him out of the late fightback against Cronulla.
The double injury blow for the Eels ahead of the western Sydney grudge match against Canterbury on Friday was not lost on coach Brad Arthur, who praised the bravery shown by his in-form pair.
"Timmy went back out there and even after the game he said he was right. There were no plans to send him for X-rays,'' Arthur told Fairfax Media on Tuesday night.
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"It wasn't until Monday they forced him to get an X-ray because he still had some soreness there.
"Tim has always played through injury. Kaysa was the same. He did his groin early in the game but he kept saying he was right to get back out there."
The injury to Pritchard, the livewire rake who has produced some decent shots in recent weeks, paves the way for utility Will Smith to wear the No.9 jersey.
Smith did a good job against the Sharks when he came off the bench and is prepared to punch out 80 minutes if required by Arthur.
"It's a big blow for us because he had started to pick up some form since the Tigers game (in round eight) and been on a roll," Smith said.
"He's tough and fast and he's good. I've played fullback, in the centres, halves and hooker. Fullback would be my preference but I also like hooker and getting in there amongst the tough stuff and physical stuff."
The Eels are anchored at the bottom of the ladder after nine rounds and while they are not focused on the finals, Smith knows the roster is not worthy of the wooden spoon.
They had won two on the trot and while they lost 22-20 to Cronulla they were ordinary for most of the night last start in the Shire.
"It's hard to think we're coming last but we have the team to turn it around and Penrith were 2-7 last year (before making the finals), so there's belief there and hopefully we can go on a run," Smith said.
Meanwhile, Trent Merrin has been named at prop by the Panthers for their match against Newcastle despite suffering a compound fracture of his index finger last Friday night. Tyrone May, who has not played this season due to a knee injury, was also named on Penrith's extended bench.
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Christian covers rugby league for The Sydney Morning Herald.
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