Not only are the Sydney Roosters buoyant about the prospect of getting their NRL season back on track, they are confident they can do it without firebrand Dylan Napa.
Napa will miss the next three games - including Saturday's final-round showdown with Parramatta - after accepting an early guilty plea for an ugly tackle on Andrew McCullough in which he led with his head.
The Roosters rallied around the Queensland prop after he was earlier in the week rubbed out and he is said to be in good spirits.
Napa will use his time on the sideline to not only correct his technique, but to get himself primed for his next game.
Should the Roosters sew up second spot with a victory against the last-placed Eels, and then win in the first week of the finals, Napa won't be available until the grand final.
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It leaves a significant hole in the Roosters' pack for the some of the club's biggest games of 2018.
"A bit was said about it after the last game. He was disappointed with the way Andrew left the field. It was probably a tough couple of days," Roosters coach Trent Robinson said.
"He's got a plan; he's working hard on training and getting some prep.
"The three games out allows him to fix some stuff that he needs to do and also train quite intensely for the next game.
"He's been positive; he's been training with us every day."
While Robinson has been unhappy after losses to Canberra and Brisbane, he knows his side must turn a corner against the Eels.
"We want to see some greatness there," he said.
The loss of Napa is somewhat offset by the return of his front-row partner Jared Waerea-Hargreaves from a rib injury.
After two straight losses, Robinson isn't reaching for the panic button and is comfortable with his side's ability to turn it around - similar to the way South Sydney snapped a three-game winning streak against the Wests Tigers on Thursday.
"A day is a long time in rugby league now, let alone a week," Robinson said.
"That extra bit of time this week has allowed us to have some intensity in what we do as well as some freedom in the way that we train. I'm sure we'll see that."
STATS THAT MATTER
* Trent Robinson will move ahead of Arthur 'Pony' Halloway (154 games) for the most known games as Roosters coach.
* The Roosters have conceded the second fewest points per game at 15.3 this year while the Eels score the fewest points per game at 15.8.
Source: Fox Sports Stats.
