The Manly Sea Eagles have suffered a blow to their finals chase with recruit forward Kobe Hetherington booked for surgery next week following a bicep rupture at training on Monday.
Hetherington moved to the Northern Beaches after winning the 2025 premiership title with the Brisbane Broncos.
The Rockhampton junior solidified the Sea Eagles' middle, which was leaking plenty of points last year, and has benefited greatly under Kieran Foran's reign.
He has made 17 appearances in his first year at the club, but surgery on his bicep will rule him out for the remainder of the year.
It means the club will have to rely on the depth of the squad to fight for a place in the Top 8, something of a certainty only six weeks ago, but the Sea Eagles' form has taken a tumble off a cliff in recent weeks.
Manly have already lost Siosiua Taukeiaho for the year following a nasty leg fracture, while rising lock Caleb Navale ruptured his ACL in January and isn't a certainty of returning before the end of the season.
Luke Brooks is also ruled out for the entire year, while gun outside back Clayton Faulalo is still being hampered by a hamstring problem occurring at the start of July.
Former Broncos and Roosters forward Fletcher Baker has appeared on Manly's six-man bench for their upcoming trip to Perth, and is firming for a club debut in the maroon and white to help ease the pressure on the forward depth, which is stretched thin.
Meanwhile, highly improved hooker Brandon Wakeham will return from a calf injury sustained in Round 16, and Corey Waddell will slot in for the rested Ben Trbojevic on the left edge due to a series of recent head knocks.
Superstar fullback Tom Trbojevic will also be rested for this week's clash after a low-grade hamstring injury has kept him off the park for a month, with a long haul flight to Australia's west coast deemed a risky move for the 2021 Dally M Medallist.
Trbojevic is set to return to the field when they host the Dolphins in Round 24.
The Sea Eagles sit in 10th position on the ladder, and must win everything in front of them for a spot in the Top 8 for September.
The Rabbitohs, Bulldogs and Cowboys sit in front of them in congested traffic with a two-point gap, but a favourable for and against record could see them slip past if they go on a run in the final weeks of the season.
Manly will face arch-rivals Melbourne Storm at Perth's HBF Park on Saturday afternoon.
