Wests Tigers captain Moses Mbye says his side is fully behind Josh Reynolds starting in the halves if Benji Marshall is ruled out of this Friday night's clash with the Panthers in Penrith.
Marshall hobbled off the pitch with a hamstring injury with 15 minutes to play in Sunday's shock loss to the Bulldogs at Campbelltown Stadium.
The veteran playmaker is expected to be sidelined for at least a week, allowing Reynolds a chance to stake his claim for a spot in Michael Maguire's first grade side.
After vying with Marshall over the off-season for a spot in the halves, Reynolds has starred for Wests in the Canterbury Cup over the first three weeks of the season.
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With the Tigers coming off their first defeat of the year, Mbye is adamant the side won't be too disrupted by Reynolds' inclusion.
"We spent three months over summer grinding it out in pre-season," Mbye told media on Tuesday.
"Josh and Benji were ... you didn't know who was going to play in round one until the Tuesday prior to playing Manly.
"So we've spent plenty of time together on the training paddock.
"It's not a major concern considering we spent all that time together in opposed sessions.
"He's had a couple of really good performances in Canterbury Cup and the boys have full confidence in Josh to be able to come in and do his role.
"He's a first grade player, he's an Origin player. He's won an Origin series before, he's played in two Grand Finals.
"He's a quality first grader and he knows what to do out there. I've got full trust in him."
The Tigers received a decent spray from Maguire after falling to the previously winless Bulldogs, but Mbye said it's nothing he hasn't experienced before.
"He showed a bit of his passion, but I've been coached by Des Hasler before, so Madge's sprays were on par," he said.
"He was disappointed with our performance, as we all were. Those weren't our standards and we're looking to bounce back from that.
"We've had a good recovery and we're focusing on the game."
Mbye, who played 11 first grade games under Ivan Cleary last year, wouldn't weigh-in on the drama surrounding the coach's new team, the Panthers.
Mbye's Tigers travel west to play their old mentor this Friday, but Mbye had nothing but praise for Cleary.
"Ivan's a guy I've got a lot of respect for and he's a very respected man," he said.
"The reason Penrith wanted him out there for five years is for that reason.
"He's a good coach and a good guy and that's how I see him."
