Malcolm Reilly's knee was the focus of much of the early 70s; so much so, it was once interviewed by the Daily Telegraph's Mike Gibson.

Ricky Stuart's mystery groin strain was the focus of the early '90s. Stuart's health governed the Canberra Raiders' health.

Add Nathan Hindmarsh's big right toe to that illustrious anatomical company.

The health of Hindmarsh's toe is crucial to Parramatta's having a healthy chance of beating St George Illawarra in their elimination finals match at WIN Jubilee Oval this Sunday.

Lose and Parramatta get the boot from the NRL for 2009.

Saints' 37-0 thrashing of the Eels at the same venue last Friday night did more than restore the minor premiers' confidence after three straight losses.

It also proved Hindmarsh is the heart and soul and spine of Parramatta.

Jarryd Hayne may supply the artist's flashy genius, but Hindmarsh is the artisan whose work must provide the foundation on which all else is built.

Hindmarsh's toe problem has been with him more than a season and he didn't train before the last two of the seven straight wins that preceded Friday night's disaster.

He will certainly be there even with 10 broken toes this Sunday, but the focus will be on the big one before the big one.

Was last Friday night a disaster from which there can be no redemption, with or without Hindmarsh?

Well, there are positives.

Saints can scarcely repeat their near-flawless opening 40 minutes; Parramatta can scarcely repeat their most inept display in two months.

A Parramatta letdown was inevitable, given they'd made the eight after seven weeks of killing pressure and a killing weight of media-and-fan expectation.

They'll know what to expect this Sunday.

Though the Eels never threw it in last Friday, they now know how they must start, and the mental-and-physical percentage lift needed.