Hindmarsh boost for Eels

Parramatta Eels coach Michael Hagan is not expecting star forward Nathan Hindmarsh to play the full 80 minutes in his return from injury against the Wests Tigers, but does believe the Australian representative can help boost his winless side.

The Eels are going into their round three clash on the back of big losses to the Warriors and Souths, yet the return of Hindmarsh and Eric Grothe will be the only two changes to Hagan's line-up as the coach refuses to press any panic buttons.

According to Parraeels.com.au, Hagan is pleased to see both Hindmarsh and Grothe returning, but the coach acknowledges the star pair could be a tad rusty after their injury spells.

"I think he's (Hindmarsh) in pretty good shape," said Hagan, " Everyone knows the type of work ethic that he has and he has trained very hard in the rehab area for probably eight or 10 weeks."

"But he hasn't probably done a lot of stuff with the team up until maybe only a week ago, so I don't think we can really expect him to be at his best the first week back, but it will be good to have him back nonetheless."

"We'll just manage his workload and see what he can handle first stint, but I think it will be a real plus for the team."

The Tigers will also be desperate for a win after losing its first two matches to competition leaders Melbourne and the high-flying Sea Eagles.