Parramatta Eels forward Jack Williams has undergone minor surgery to repair a knee injury and will miss up to the next six weeks.
Few details have been provided by the club regarding exactly what the injury is or its severity, other than to say he suffered the injury during last week's loss at the hands of the Canterbury Bulldogs.
The loss, which was Parramatta's third in three games to start 2025, saw Williams start at prop for the first time after originally being named in the second-row.
The off-season recruit from the Cronulla Sharks played out 74 minutes of the game and didn't appear to be in any discomfort, so it's unclear exactly where the injury was sustained.
Williams was named to play at prop again this weekend, with Parramatta set to clash with the Manly Sea Eagles at Brookvale on Sunday afternoon in search of their first win of the season.
The Eels will confirm their plans to replace Williams 24 hours before kick-off, but the most likely option appears to be Joe Ofahengaue moving back into the starting side, with Sam Tuivaiti - who played last weekend but was dropped for this round - moving back onto the bench.
Youngster Charlie Guymer, who at one point was reported to have asked for a release from the club at the back-end of last year, could be another option to slot onto the bench.
The other reserves for the Eels are all outside backs, with Joash Papalii, Ronald Volkman and Jordan Samrani the other players in the 22-man squad.
