Kiwis league coach Steve Kearney strolled into the enemy dressing room Sunday evening to try and convince a battered, shattered Nathan Cayless to come out of international retirement.
Kearney, assistant coach of National Rugby League (NRL) premiers the Melbourne Storm, confirmed he'd been chasing the beaten Eels skipper to bolster his injury-hit side in the Four Nations tournament in England and France this month.
But Cayless, who overcame a hamstring strain to bravely lead Parramatta to a 16-23 defeat at ANZ Stadium, admitted his broken body may not allow it.
"I don't know, my body's just screaming at me. I think I've re-done the hamstring. I've got to speak to Steve," Cayless told NZPA.
"He rang me but I've got to listen to my body and just weigh up everything. I've got three other things I need to get cleaned up with operations.
"I've got to do what's best for the club and myself, I've got one more year and it all goes on the line for me."
Cayless, 31, was physically and mentally pained after playing in his second grand final defeat, after Newcastle in 2001.
The club's last premiership was in 1986 on the back of a dominant period in the 1980s.
"Hopefully it's not my last chance. I've still got one more year next year but it's so hard to get in the grand final, let alone win one. A lot of hard work. "
Cayless insisted he was 100 percent before the match after passing a tough fitness test yesterday on the hamstring he strained in the grand final qualifier against the Bulldogs.
The 38-test veteran called time on his decade-long international career in April after leading the Kiwis to the World Cup title in Brisbane last November.
Kearney admitted he made a mercy call to Cayless as he prepares to name his side tomorrow, without injured key forwards Roy Asotasi, Simon Mannering, Sam Rapira, Sika Manu and Jeremy Smith.
"Given the circumstances I made no bones about it, I rang Nathan 3-4 weeks ago to get his thoughts on the situation," Kearney said.
"We'd lost a lot of experienced players so he wanted to wait until after the finals. The hamstring injury threw a bit of a spanner in the works. It's just wait and see.
"I'll speak to him. He's bitterly disappointed. I know Nathan and he fights for every little inch. I know he'll be hurting a lot. I'll ascertain that once I finish talking to him. "
Eels prop Fuifui Moimoi, their standout player tonight, is a certainty for a recall.
"I'm not thinking about the Kiwis at the moment but if they pick me I'll put my hand up," Moimoi said.
Kearney's 23-man squad will assemble this week in Auckland, and play Tonga in Rotorua on October 14 before departing for their tournament opener against Australia in London on October 25.
Uncapped players in line for selection are young Warriors Kevin Locke, Ben Matulino and Lewis Brown, Manly duo Kieran Foran and Jared Waerea-Hargeaves, Brisbane's Alex Glenn and Bulldogs winger Bryson Goodwin.
NZPA