Kiwis rugby league second rower Joe Galuvao is recovering from an ugly facial wound which practically welded his right eye closed during Penrith's National Rugby League (NRL) preliminary final loss to the Bulldogs.
"He'll be OK. The eye will go down and it'll heal, he's been to the doctor," club spokesman
Rob Weaver told NZPA.
Galuvao, named in the Kiwis' Tri-Nations train on squad after Penrith's elimination on Saturday night, copped an accidental boot to the face from Willie Mason 17 minutes into the Panthers 14-30 defeat.
His eye closed instantly and was heavily swollen two hours after the game, reducing his vision to one eye.
Galuvao, who could potentially re-form the club second row partnership with Tony Puletua against the Kangaroos at North Harbour Stadium on October 16, could not be reached for comment today.
However, he was confident there would be no serious damage when he recalled the incident after the game.
"I had a similar injury at the start of the year and the swelling went down over the week," he said earlier.
Galuvao and his Panthers teammates were out of range today as they embarked on their traditional end of season "Mad Monday" bonding session. The players were to report back to the club on Thursday.
- NZPA
