Eels young gun Dylan Brown could sit out the rest of the season due to a back injury, as reported by the Sydney Herald.
The 18-year old has been sidelined indefinitely with bone bruising in his lower back and was unwilling to put a time frame on his return.
"If the back's not right, 100 per cent [I won't play again this year]," Brown told the Sydney Herald.
"It would just be silly if I do. Brad and [the coaching staff] are behind me and they want me to be honest so I'll be honest with them. I'm actually feeling good and my back is getting better.
"[But] if I'm honest I don't [have a return date]. I'm just trying to go off the pain tolerance. I might get a scan and it could look good, but unless I'm feeling good I won't be able to play."
After facetiously saying he would entertain offers from rival clubs when he comes off-contract at the end of 2020, Brown has since cut ties with social media due to avoid any sort of distractions.
"My name started getting thrown around in the media a bit and I was getting caught up in it," Brown said. "I think going back to New Zealand just helped me reground myself.
"After this break, hopefully it's not too much longer, I'll be able to come back and know what I'm grateful for. Hopefully that just keeps me humble.
"I'm not going to lie, when I was playing [the back] was pain free. But it was at half-time sitting down and when I stopped running it started to seize up. It was moreso the fact after the game I was in so much pain. It was just a bit silly and we needed to stop.
