Parramatta’s already thin No.9 stocks have suffered an NRL hammer blow after Kaysa Pritchard was granted leave by the Eels.
The club on Wednesday announced that the luckless 24-year-old had been granted time away from the game to consider his options.
“Last season Kaysa Pritchard suffered a serious injury and while he was able return to pre-season training in October 2018, he continues to deal with some residual impact from that injury,” the club said in a statement.
“As a result, the club has granted Kaysa’s request for some time away from the game to assess his immediate playing future.”
Pritchard has been injury-prone throughout his career and has made just 47 appearances since debuting in 2013.
A little more than two weeks out from their season opener against Penrith, Pritchard’s unavailability leaves the Eels with just one recognised hooker in their squad in Reed Mahoney.
The 20-year-old Mahoney has just nine games of first-grade experience and was this week upgraded to a full-time contract.
The club was reported to be interested in luring Issac Luke away from the Warriors, where he is on a cut-price deal, however, the Auckland club have said they are in the process of offering him an upgraded contract.