Taupau's season on the line as Hasler hunts for 21 players

Manly are expected to contest Martin Taupau's two-week ban for the high shot that knocked Eels opponent Ray Stone out as Des Hasler hunts for 21 fit players to take into week one of the finals.

Taupau was hit with a grade three high tackle charge for his swinging arm that collected Stone across the face in a costly 32-16 Sea Eagles loss on Friday night, in which Taniela Paseka, Curtis Sironen and Brad Parker were all injured as well.

An early guilty plea would see Taupau sit out the Sea Eagles' sudden death Brookvale Oval final next week, where they will host Brisbane should they defeat Canterbury as expected.

Taupau faces a two-week ban should he unsuccessfully challenge at the judiciary on Tuesday night, with Manly understood to have already been eyeing off highly-rated silk Nick Ghabar after fulltime.

Taupau was sin-binned for his shot, but not before going directly to Stone's side as the Parramatta benchman was taken from the field on a medicab.

Stone was up and about and in good spirits with no concern of a neck injury after full-time, while teammate Kane Evans is also facing a one-game ban that would rule him out of the Eels' return to finals football next week.

With Taupau's last charge coming late in 2017, the Samoan enforcer does not have any loading added to his name, but Hasler conceded he could well join big names Tom Trbojevic and Joel Thompson in the stands next week.

"I'll have to check Marty Taupau's carry-overs," Hasler said.

"I am little bit worried about that one."

Both players [Parramatta's Kane Evans was also placed on report for a high tackle] will be a bit worried about it.

Asked about Taupau's importance to Manly, Hasler said: "Just his experience, his carries. He's one of the most prominent front-rowers in the game.

"We haven't got that position where we're going to get a [second] chance. For us it's sudden-death."

Hasler was hopeful back-rower Jack Gosiewski (knee) would return next week, while Morgan Boyle (arm) will also be sweated on to boost Manly's forward stocks.

The knee injury that hobbled Paseka after just 20 minutes will rule him out of week one of the finals, while Sironen's calf issue "will have to be managed" according to Hasler.

Parker suffered a concussion when Evans collected him high and he will likely have eight days to pass concussion protocols.

Hasler was already forced to name three backs on his extended reserves list for the Eels loss, while also handing young prop Sean Keppie a debut against his junior club and bringing Lloyd Perrett into the fold for the first time this season.

Manly were gutsy in coming back from 14-0 down to make a second-half game of it, but Hasler was none too pleased with their ill-discipline both with and without the ball.

Most of Manly's 10 handling errors came when they had rare attacking chances, while a 9-5 penalty count against them also hurt.

"Courage can only take you so far," Hasler said.

"We realise that and it's been a little bit of an issue for us. It was prevalent last week and we're not going to make too much of an impact if we keep turning over possession the way we did.

"At the moment the sides that are winning the games are the sides that are completing."