Parramatta Eels five-eighth Casey McGuire ruled out for season with pectoral injury

PARRAMATTA five-eighth Casey McGuire is out for the season with a pectoral injury but Ben Smith remains a strong chance to return from the same injury.

Ben Smith

PARRAMATTA five-eighth Casey McGuire was yesterday ruled out for the season with a pectoral injury but Ben Smith remains a strong chance to return from the same injury.

McGuire will undergo the knife tomorrow, but back-rower Smith, who tore his pectoral during the pre-season trials, has worked around the clock to be fit for the Monday night clash against Cronulla.

"He's getting close and been doing a fair bit of work contact-wise," Eels coach Stephen Kearney said last night.

"He only started full-on contact a couple of weeks ago, so we'll get a gauge on that before we make any decisions." Kearney was more certain Ben Roberts would be recalled for McGuire, with the inconsistent playmaker enjoying a star performance in Sunday's 58-18 NSW Cup win for Wentworthville.

Roberts has already been dumped to reserve grade twice this year since his arrival from Canterbury, but Kearney - and McGuire - both backed him to click with Chris Sandow in the halves and help lift the Eels off the bottom of the NRL ladder.

"Ben is the logical choice," Kearney said. "It's hard to gauge sometimes how players go back in the NSW Cup because it can be a bit like that with cricket scores. We were pretty ordinary in the first half a dozen games this year, and I thought Benny tried hard in a lot of those games. He'll get his opportunity now and I'm sure he'll take it with both hands."

McGuire said Saturday's effort against the Dragons showed the Eels had finally showed some urgency in defence, and despite the loss, was an effort that could spark a mid-season revival.

The 32-year-old added a settled halves pairing was the one thing Parramatta had missed in recent years, and hopefully Roberts and Sandow were the answers.

"I've got big wraps on the forwards who have done a really good job for us, I just think if we can get a halves combination to settle and work well with Jarryd (Hayne), we could trouble a few sides," McGuire said. "I thought Saturday night was a big step forward for us with the way we defended ... If we defend like we did against the Dragons, and with the same passion and blokes working hard for each other, our attack will come."

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