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Manly players are viewing a cheekbone injury to star fullback Tom Trbojevic as an opportunity to show the NRL the Sea Eagles aren't just a one-man team.
Tom Trbojevic's Manly teammates are confident they can keep their NRL top-four quest on track despite the fullback's latest injury setback.
The NSW State of Origin star is in doubt for at least the next two weeks after suffering a knock to his cheekbone during their big win over Parramatta last Saturday.
A plate inserted after a previous fracture is understood to have minimised the damage suffered by Trbojevic but it's likely coach Des Hasler won't take any risks with the 24-year-old fitness before the finals.
"He's got a bit of swelling and a bit of a bruising. He looks like he's storing acorns for the winter," hooker Lachlan Croker said.
"It's obviously going to be tough without him if he does miss the next one or two, we're all prepared for it though."
After missing the first five rounds of the campaign as he recovered from a hamstring injury, Trbojevic has delivered one of the most impressive individual campaigns in NRL history since his return in round six - scoring 19 tries and setting up 25 more in just 13 games.
The Sea Eagles lost their opening four matches without Trbojevic but are on the verge of the top four having lost just four more matches since the fullback's return.
Prop Kurt De Luis believes if Trbojevic isn't available for Friday's game against Canberra it'll be a chance for the players to prove they're not just a one-man team.
"Just because Tommy's out doesn't mean we lose track of what we want to do," De Luis said.
"We obviously want to finish in the top four and I think a lot of people think without Tommy we're not the side that we are.
"We've had a couple of really tough wins without him during that Origin period so there's no reason why we can't do it again and really prove to everyone and prove to ourselves that it's not just the Tommy T show.
"Obviously he's in some great form but we've got a lot of great players around us that are willing to pick up the slack if he's not there for the next week or so."
