Having learned to win without Blake Ferguson, Parramatta coach Brad Arthur has declared his side more than a one man band as they get ready to press their NRL top four aspirations.
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Ferguson will make a timely return during next week's clash with Brisbane which looks set to have a major bearing on the fate of both sides' season.
The Eels' star winger has been missing for the past five weeks and will again sit out Thursday's match against western Sydney rivals Canterbury at Bankwest Stadium after being sidelined with a knee infection.
He suffered complications following a routine knee cleanout and his absence was predicted to be a massive blow to the Eels' top eight hopes.
Since coming over from the premiership-winning Sydney Roosters, Ferguson has ignited last year's wooden spooners.
But instead of falling into a lull, the Eels have won their past four.
If they beat the Bulldogs and results go their way, they will find themselves in the top four for the first time since 2017.
"He trained well today and during the week he's been a pain in the backside," Arthur said of Ferguson.
"He wants to play and we just need to make sure he's 100 per cent right. The doctors have pretty much given him the all-clear for next week."
Asked about coping without their metre-eating winger, Arthur said they had added many strings to their bow.
"That's part of our development as a club, as a team, that everyone has a role to play when they come in - the number on your back comes with responsibility and accountability," Arthur said.
"There's different bodies in the jerseys but the job doesn't change.
"That's the mentality the boys have got at the minute, if we've got a mentality like that every week we'll have a pretty good chance."
But as the Eels eye the top four, the resurgent Bulldogs are intent on continuing to rattle cages in the run to September having already knocked off Penrith, Wests Tigers and South Sydney in consecutive weeks.
Having been anchored to the bottom of the ladder all season, the Bulldogs will provisionally move to within two points of eight-placed Cronulla with victory over the Eels.
"Through the first 14 rounds we had some games where we really competed hard," coach Dean Pay said.
"There were some things that went against us and cost us in games.
"If we could have jagged a couple more wins earlier in the season, it might have been a different story."
STATS THAT MATTER
* Canterbury have the best completion rate in the league (79.6 per cent) and make the fewest errors (9.3 per game).
* Mitchell Moses leads the NRL in try assists with 29 - the equal second most by an Eel on record, trailing just Tim Smith's 40 try assists in 2005.
Australian Associated Press
