They say for every cloud there's a silver lining.
That saying has certainly rung true for Wests Tigers forward Matt Eisenhuth so far in 2018, perhaps the biggest beneficiary of the tough struggle Ivan Cleary's side have had with injuries so far this year.
With Russell Packer and Elijah Taylor playing less than half the season, and Alex Twal also struggling with various niggles, Eisenhuth has been the shining light for Wests Tigers through the opening eight weeks — a somewhat surprising achievement given the depth of talent up front this year.
Since his debut midway through the 2017 season, Eisenhuth has been a "set and forget" option for Cleary with his consistency and commitment in both attack and defence a crucial element to the side.
There was the chance of a reduced role in 2018 for the 25-year-old with the arrivals of Packer and Kiwi international Ben Matulino, along with the emergence of Twal, but as he has done so many times throughout his career already, Eisenhuth continues to defy the odds and stake his claim.
All in the no-nonsense, no-fuss, team-first way that makes him such a valuable member of the side.
"I think my footy has come a long way in the last 12 months," Eisenhuth reflected.
"Having regular first-grade footy at the back end of last year has helped me and given me a lot more confidence, especially after getting that spot in Round 1.
"Week after week I feel more confident and feel like I'm contributing more to the team.
"Ivan has instilled confidence in me by giving me that regular spot. Elijah [Taylor] coming in and out of the side, I've been able to start at lock or at prop and I feel like I'm handling that well.
"I guess I've had to step up [with the injuries the team has had].
"It's a lot of experience lost when Russell is out, but Ben Matulino brings a lot as well.
"As a forward pack, you've got to share the workload when someone as big as that is out. I think we've done that well in patches, but on the weekend it just wasn't as consistent enough as it should have been.
"Our defence in the middle was better than it was against Newcastle, but we can definitely still improve."
See what Matt Eisenhuth had to say about this week's game in full in the video above!
