Rookie Brendan Hands is mounting a case to remain Parramatta's starting hooker but Eels coach Brad Arthur is staying loyal to recruit Josh Hodgson despite his lukewarm start to the season.
Arthur gave Hands his first start at NRL level in Sunday's clash with Canterbury after a bout of flu ruled Hodgson out.
The Penrith junior acquitted himself well, laying the second-most tackles of any Parramatta player.
In attack, he fed Reagan Campbell-Gillard a pass that helped him barge over for the try that put paid to a Bulldogs comeback.
The game capped a whirlwind 18 months for Hands, who was left contemplating his future when Ivan Cleary informed him the Panthers would be prioritising other hookers.
At the time, Api Koroisau, Mitch Kenny and Soni Luke were all ahead of Hands in the pecking order.
"It was just sort of an opportunity-based thing. I left Penrith pretty amicably," Hands said.
He signed a train-and-trial deal with the only club that expressed interest in him, the Eels, and parlayed that into a full-fledged one-year contract.
Hands is fresh from signing a new two-year extension in a strong endorsement of the potential he has shown through four NRL games. The hooker has barely had time to catch his breath amid the whirlwind.
"This is what I've always wanted to do," he said.
"When all the doors seemed to close on me, I tried my hardest, I got here.
"I feel like I've done the work and I deserve to be here.
"In the future, it's something that I'd love to lock down, the nine spot here."
Hodgson, the man keeping Hands out of that spot, is having an unconvincing start to life as an Eel after making his return from an ACL injury this season.
When the Eels lost Reed Mahoney to Canterbury, they recruited the 33-year-old Englishman with the hopes he could recapture the form he produced on Canberra's run to the 2019 grand final.
But through seven rounds, he is ranked equal second among first-choice hookers for average missed tackles and equal 11th for tackles made.
Hodgson has not played 80 minutes since round three, either, and has shown little of his dynamic best with the football.
But Arthur confirmed Hodgson would recover in time for Friday's clash with Brisbane in Darwin and that Hands had no chance of dislodging him from the starting spot just yet.
"He's played four NRL games," Arthur said of Hands.
"He'll get better as he's going and his job is to learn off Hodgo. Hodgo will be straight back in."
Through four years playing NSW Cup, Hands has learned to be patient.
"Josh is a world-class hooker. He was brought to the club to be that guy," he said.
"I'm still happy to learn off him. There's still a lot that I need to improve on."
