The Manly Sea Eagles' backline depth is set to take a hit, with backup option Tevita Funa set to be suspended after being pinged for a shoulder charge.
The winger, who played in place of Tom Trbojevic during Friday night's nail-biting victory over the Canberra Raiders, could yet be needed for more games.
That hinges on the state of Trbojevic's cheekbone, which was reportedly fractured in last week's mammoth victory over the Parramatta Eels.
While the club said the injury wasn't serious, there are concerns Trbojevic could need more than the single week to recover, although conflicting reports also suggested he was desperate to play last night.
Funa was charged with a Grade 1 offence for the 69th-minute incident on Canberra Raiders' second rower Elliott Whitehead.
The base penalty for the charge is 200 points, but with Funa having two non-similar prior offences in the last two years (quite incredible given the short nature of his career), the points hit for even taking an early guilty plea springs up to 280.
If he fights and loses, the points will shoot up to 350, ruling him out for three games, including the first week of the finals.
Funa has often been listed as Manly's 18th man this season, serving in the role on five occasions. He has played in four games though, including two from the bench in the early part of the season, a Round 12 fixture at five-eighth against the Newcastle Knights and last night's fixture.
