The Manly Sea Eagles will take a cautious approach with their superstar fullback Tom Trbojevic, keeping him on ice and leaving him in Sydney while the club travels to Perth.
They will face arch-rivals the Melbourne Storm on Saturday at HBF Park, with the Daily Telegraph revealing that 'Turbo' won't play despite the club hoping to have him ready after last weekend's bye.
Trbojevic injured his hamstring a month ago against the Gold Coast Titans on the other leg to the one which kept him out for two months earlier in the season.
It brings his hamstring injury tally to nine in his career, but the club is hopeful he will bounce back for their final month of the season to keep their slim finals hopes alive.
“We'll hold ‘Turbo' back another week, and the travel has a bit to do with it,” Foran told the Sydney Morning Herald on Monday night.
"He was touch and go anyway. He's running well, and ticking all the boxes, but the reality is it's a risk we're not prepared to take.
“There's the flight, and we also come back and play the Dolphins on a Friday night. We're pretty confident he'll be right then. He's close, but it's one of these ones; based on his [hamstring] history, we can't be short-sighted with it. We have to look after him.”
Meanwhile, the youngest of the Trbojevic cohort, Ben, will also miss the trip to Western Australia after a succession of head knocks in his past.
He was ruled out of the Sea Eagles clash against the Sharks after failing his HIA after an awkward collision with Siosifa Talakai.
It is understood Corey Waddell is returning from an ankle injury at a timely boost while Trbojevic is out, while rising hooker Brandon Wakeham will also be available for selection.
The Sea Eagles' form has fallen off a cliff in the last month of the competition, plummeting to 10th on the ladder.
With congested traffic ahead of them in their fight to make it into the Top 8, they will have to win four of their last five games to be within striking distance of September football.
The club recently announced the signature of Kayliss Fatialofa on a long-term deal, a rising Warriors prodigy who will no doubt make his mark on the side in 2027.
Meanwhile, Fijian international Caleb Navale is nearing a return following an ACL rupture in January, with the club's medical team pencilling Round 25 against the Knights as the return date.
