Manly's NRL premiership stocks have suffered a blow, with improved second-rower Curtis Sironen not expected back until the final NRL game of the regular season.
Sironen will undergo surgery on Tuesday after scans confirmed a pectoral tear suffered in an attempted tackle on Jack Bird in Sunday's win over Cronulla.
He has pencilled in a return for the Sea Eagles' round 26 clash against Penrith, taking some serious air out of a flying Manly side that is in the top four for the first time since 2014.
Sironen is considered one of the most improved players in the competition following his move to the northern beaches from the Wests Tigers during the summer.
He has started in every game under coach Trent Barrett this season and scored two tries against the Sharks in arguably his best performance for Manly.
"He's been one of our best players this year," teammate Dylan Walker said on Tuesday.
"He was really starting to find form. It's a bit upsetting and a bit sad for him because he's had so many injuries over the years. Hopefully it's not too bad and we can get him back soon."
The Sea Eagles will want to continue their impressive record away from Lottoland this season when they play the Warriors in Perth on Saturday.
Their only loss on the road came against Brisbane at Suncorp Stadium in round 10.
Walker credited his team's strong away form to a greater team bond compared with last year but he believes it is a growing trend across the league.
"Everyone here are real close together. It could be the little things of going out to golf, coffee or brekkie. We definitely like each other's company and it's just a close-knit group," he said.
"There's a lot of teams doing good away from home. You only look at State of Origin, when they've both won away. It might be something new happening.
"Playing away is something we like doing and hopefully we can continue to do so."
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