The possibility of losing both Reagan Campbell-Gillard and Maika Sivo to suspension has compounded Parramatta's concerns as they prepare for a tough draw to finish one of the closest NRL seasons in recent memory.
But a year of adversity has left the Eels playing group believing they can continue to roll with the punches and charge into the finals series.
State of Origin prop Campbell-Gillard will respectively miss four games for contacting Chris Randall with his knees in the 25-24 defeat of Gold Coast on Sunday.
Try-scoring ace Sivo will contest the grading of his grade-two careless high tackle on Titans winger Jojo Fifita at the judiciary on Tuesday night.
He will escape suspension if successful, but could have his three-match ban increased to four if not.
"They're two of our main players," halfback Mitch Moses said.
"To be missing them for a few weeks, it'd be tough.
"They're hard players to replace."
The judiciary news could hardly have come at a worse time for the seventh-placed Eels, who are only inside the top eight on for-and-against and face the current top-three sides - Penrith, Brisbane and Melbourne - in their final six games.
The NRL's form team North Queensland await this Saturday and like all of the top-three sides, the Eels are playing them away from Parramatta.
Campbell-Gillard is unavailable for the games against the Cowboys, Storm and Broncos, with Sivo also a chance to miss all three pending the outcome of Tuesday's hearing.
Campbell-Gillard's absence puts more pressure on Junior Paulo and mid-season recruit Joe Ofahengaue in the middle of the park.
Losing Sivo, equal-third on the try-scoring leaderboard this season, would likely bring the inexperienced Haze Dunster back into the starting side.
The proposed bans are the latest obstacle for the Eels to clear in a season that has rarely gone to plan.
Last year's runners-up dropped four of their first five games amid a similarly tough draw but have gone on to win six of their past seven.
Parramatta have lost Campbell-Gillard, reigning player-of-the-year Shaun Lane and recruit Josh Hodgson to injury throughout the year, as well as Ryan Matterson to a suspension he chose over a fine after the grand final.
The club has also been on high alert without star five-eighth Dylan Brown, who remains suspended following his highly-publicised arrest and trial for sexual touching.
"We've had a lot of hurdles to overcome this year," second-rower Bryce Cartwright said.
"We just see it as a good challenge. Everyone gets excited when we have those obstacles to overcome."
Moses pointed out while the Eels went 1-4 to begin the year, they were competitive throughout their dry spell.
"We were there until the 80th minute in pretty much all those games," he said.
"It was upsetting but we learned a lot coming out of that. Hopefully we can take those lessons at the start of the year and take them into those teams that we're versing at the end of it."
