Parramatta centre Ben Smith remains some chance of playing next week despite suffering ligament damage to his knee during the Eels tough NRL qualifying final win over the New Zealand Warriors.
Smith limped from the field after courageously combining with Nathan Cayless and Brett Finch to prevent a Logan Swann try in the 56th minute on Friday night, that tackle proving the turning point as Parramatta edged out the Warriors 12-10 at Mt Smart Stadium in Auckland.
Under-rated centre Smith says he is optimistic he could play next week, when the Eels are likely to host a semi-final, especially after overcoming a similar injury just three weeks ago and not missing a game.
"It's a bit sore, I don't know (how severe) it is at this stage," said Smith.
"It may be cartilage damage so we'll get some scans and see how it goes.
"I'd love to get back next week."
If Smith is ruled out, winger Joel Reddy is the likely replacement, with Krisnan shifting into the centres.
Injured fullback Luke Burt said he was "no chance" of being fit for next week.
The narrow victory on Friday night means Parramatta will host a semi-final next week, unless there are two upsets over the remainder of the weekend, and puts the Eels firmly back into premiership contention.
Their superb defence, at one stage repelling 23 consecutive tackles on their own line, proving Parramatta possess the mental strength to challenge for the title.
Test forward Nathan Hindmarsh says the Eels have a perfect blend of experience and youth this year, but was reluctant to compare the class of 2007 to previous sides he'd played in that reached a grand final (2001) or won the minor premiership (2005).
"I can't really say too much about other sides compared to this one," he said.
"But there's a good feel. We've got young guys just oozing confidence and we've got the old guys like myself and Cayless and (Daniel) Wagon that really know how to keep blokes levelled and it's a good mixture."
However, Hindmarsh has warned his teammates they'll need to produce a better attacking performance to threaten for the title.
Just a week after scoring 13 tries against Brisbane, the Eels only crossed twice from kicks against the Warriors while Timana Tahu fumbled the ball over the line.
"Our attack probably needs a bit more improvement still but our defence was awesome," he said.
"We've always known we can defend well but it's just a matter of doing it on the night."
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