Manly Sea Eagles will be without rising star Joey Walsh for the club's trip to Newcastle with revelations the 20-year-old half played the majority of last weekend's loss against the Dolphins with a hairline fracture in his jaw.
Fresh reports from CODE Sports reveal Walsh will meet with specialists to see if a return timeline for this year is possible. Otherwise, the curtain will be drawn on his rookie season.
It is understood Walsh is set to be replaced by Clayton Faulalo in the halves, with coach Kieran Foran full of praise for the youngster's toughness.
"He is such a tough kid,” Foran said to CODE Sports.
“The fact that he played the majority of the game against the Dolphins with a hairline fracture in his jaw shows how brave he is. It's disappointing that he won't be able to play against Newcastle but we haven't given up hope that he can play again this season.”
Fualalo has limited experience in the halves, but offers plenty of spark close to the line and has a crisp passing game which can put his outside men over the white line.
Foran could have opted with Brandon Wakeham in the halves, while also having young gun Onitoni Large in the ranks, a rangy five-eighth yet to make his NRL debut.
Superstar fullback Tom Trbojevic will make his highly anticipated return from a hamstring injury sustained a month ago on the Gold Coast.
Trbojevic will make a timely return in the wake of Walsh's injury for a spine reshuffle in a bid to snap a six-game losing streak against a red-hot Knights outfit on Sunday.
If Turbo can get create some late-season form, it puts him in contention for a Kangaroos World Cup spot with Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow pledging to Samoa and Kotoni Staggs struggling with form.
Menawhile, Ben Trbojevic will return from a few weeks off after consecutive head knocks, and will take his spot on the left edge.
Rising lock Caleb Navale made a successful return last week from an ACL injury sustained in February, recording one of the quickest turnarounds for that type of injury, with a rapid return to the field a touch over six months post-injury.
After making his return in NSW Cup on the weekend, he will play his first game of the NRL season, adding some much-needed leg drive through Manly's middle.
The Sea Eagles have fallen out of finals contention in a dire two-month plummet and will finish the season with matches against the Knights, Dragons and Warriors.
They will travel up the motorway to face the Knights at McDonald Jones Stadium on Sunday.
