Parramatta Eels star halfback Mitchell Moses will miss six weeks with a fractured eye socket.
The club confirmed the news on Tuesday after speculation that Moses may have been able to return at some point during the finals.
The injury was sutained in the opening minuntes of last weekend's horror loss to the Brisbane Broncos, which has put the Eels on the ropes just to qualify for the finals.
Moses, who played on with the injury until halftime, eventually had to be taken from the field and now, a six-week return timeline would likely mean the preliminary finals would be the best case scenario for a return, with the grand final being a more realistic target.
Even that would require things to go well though, and of course, Parramatta are less than a certainty of making it to the decider, particularly now with their star halfback watching on from the sidelines.
The Eels will bring Daejarn Asi into the halves this weekend to play the Roosters, with the young utility now likely to wear the number seven jumper in each of Parramatta's two remaining games.
As it stands, the Eels will need to win both of their remaining games and likely hope some results go their way with a bye in the final round to sneak into the finals.
The impending failure to make the top eight will be a major failure for Brad Arthur's side, who made the grand final last year before coming up short against the Penrith Panthers in the decider.
