Clint Gutherson insists he's ready to lead Parramatta on his own as the club prepares to part ways with long-time captain Tim Mannah this week.
After spending all 11 years of his career at the Eels, Mannah is expected to be granted a release from his deal to join the Wests Tigers until the end of the season.
Mannah is still training with the club however Eels players are resigned to being without the final remaining member of the club's 2009 grand final side.
"He's been here for all his junior career and now it's his 11th or 12th year at the top and he's been to the top," Gutherson said on Wednesday.
"He's been to grand finals; so he's been through everything.
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"It's never good to see, but it's none of my business. It's up to him and his management and the club to do what they need to do.
"I just hope it all gets sorted, and Timmy's happy. That's all you want to see.
"You want to see a fellow teammate happy and if it can all get sorted quickly, it's going to be better for everyone."
Mannah has played 233 games in the blue-and-gold, and was appointed captain alongside former teammate Jarryd Hayne in 2014.
It's a standing he has maintained for the past six years, including a shared role with Gutherson over the past 18 months.
Gutherson, 24, said he had learnt a lot under Mannah's mentorship.
"I got thrown into the deep end there last year when we weren't going too well. But Timmy's an exceptional leader on and off the field," he said.
Mannah's likely exit would leave Gutherson as the likely captain for the long-term, given he re-signed last month until the end of the 2022 season.
"It won't really change my role on the field. I just go out there and try and do the same thing every week. It's pretty simple for me," he said.
"But if Timmy's not there, someone's going to have to step up (too)."
That person could be star lock Nathan Brown, who had been urged by coach Brad Arthur to lead the team's forward pack in Mannah's recent absence.
Mannah has been left out of Arthur's top 17 for the past two games.
"(Brad) said to me, 'you're a leader of this forward pack and I want you to go out there and lead'. I've taken that on board and I'm really excited," Brown said.
