Issac Luke is facing a stint in reserve grade, as the veteran hooker is set to be left out of the Warriors squad for Friday's trip to Penrith.
Nathaniel Roache and Karl Lawton have been preferred in the Warriors 17 for this weekend's clash, but Luke has been named in an extended group of 21, in case Roache isn't passed fit.
Roache picked up a back injury in last weekend's 26-18 win against the Dragons and coach Stephen Kearney allayed fears it was a recurrence of the one that kept him out of action last year.
Kearney said it was a corked back, but it was bad enough for him not to feature at training on Tuesday.
"We'll give him every opportunity to play on Friday," Kearney said.
That's a big call, not only because of the influence he had in the win over the Dragons, but because it could also determine where Luke plays this weekend.
"I couldn't tell you today if 'Bully' [Luke] is going to be there, what grade he'll be playing this week," Kearney said.
"I reckon the last six weeks, if I told you the team at the start of the week, sometimes it's changed by about 3-4 players by the end of the week," Kearney added, referring to the torrid run of injuries he's had to juggle when naming his squads recently.
Luke not playing last weekend had nothing to do with injuries. He was dropped and providing Roache is fit, Luke is likely to feature in reserve grade this weekend.
Roache and fellow hooker Karl Lawton proved they were more than adequate replacements, with the latter even picking up a Dally M Medal point, despite only playing 20 minutes off the bench.
"I thought young Lawton was a real point of difference," former New South Wales hooker Michael Ennis told Fox Sport's League Wrap.
"He came on at dummy half again, only limited time on the field, but huge running metres and was a real spark."
Lawton was playing his second game of the year, spending most of the season down in the Canterbury Cup.
His rise has co-incided with Luke's demise in the pecking order
"It's a part of the game I think everyone's fighting for jerseys," said Lawton. "That's the best thing about this club with the depth - it's giving [Kearney] headaches every week."
This week, the headache is whether Roache will be fit, because the message to Luke is clear.
"It's about preparing well, and then going out and playing well with whichever grade you're playing in," said Kearney.
"That doesn't change, whether you've played 200 games, 300 games or 50 games. It's the same thing - play well."
Newshub.
Join us for live updates of Warriors v Panthers from 8pm Friday.
