Tom Trbojevic is likely to miss Australia's end-of-season rugby league Tests to undergo surgery on his shoulder, but says his confidence in the injured joint is growing by the week.
Trbojevic got through a full training session with Manly on Wednesday, but again avoided contact on the problematic right shoulder and his grade-three AC joint tear.
The Sea Eagles superstar also confirmed he expected to receive pain-killing injections both before and at halftime of all matches during the finals.
AAP has been told Trbojevic will likely need surgery on the shoulder at the end of the year, given his return to play has not given it time to fully heal.
It means the fullback's chances of playing his first Test for the Kangaroos since 2018 in the Pacific Championships are all but over.
"I haven't really addressed that (playing for the Kangaroos) but I think it'd be a long shot," Trbojevic said.
Regardless, Trbojevic insists the injury has not dented his confidence, and is feeling better ahead of Saturday night's semi-final against the Sydney Roosters.
"It's feeling better this week which is normal," Trbojevic said.
"We trained just before and it felt a lot better training so that's a way to quantify it. It's just a pain thing. The first game is going to be sore and then it gets better."
Trbojevic appeared in regular discomfort during Manly's 24-22 elimination-final win over Canterbury on Sunday.
He also worse strapping to his right knee, after suffering a medial ligament strain early in the second half of the round-26 win over Canterbury a fortnight earlier.
But the fullback insisted that was also not a problem, and he would not require strapping on Saturday night against the Roosters.
"Of course I (can attack games at 100 per cent)," Trbojevic said.
"I'm just going out there to do my best. Whether people think I am or not, that's up to them.
"I'm just going to go out and do my best, and hopefully that's good enough."
Manly are also confident Trbojevic is ready to deliver.
The fullback was in his best form since his 2021 Dally M season before the shoulder injury in round 26, putting on an eight-game blitz.
That had come off the back of another lay off for a hamstring injury, with Trbojevic quiet in his first game back before bursting to life in the two months that followed.
The fullback was well contained by the Bulldogs on Sunday, but still delivered in the moment that mattered late in the game to help lay on the match-winning try.
"Coming back from injury, the first game is always the hardest. And he knows that better than most," Manly captain Daly Cherry-Evans told AAP.
"Getting through the weekend in such a big game for us was really important, and really important for him. He will be better for the run.
"He will be so much more aware of what it feels like, what he can and can't do. And it doesn't look like he's limited too much.
"Yeah, it might look painful, but it doesn't look like there is too much limitation there ... He will be great for us this weekend."
