The upcoming international break might be the first time this season Canberra United are glad to have a week off.
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That's because United skipper Michelle Heyman has been given strict orders not to train for 10 days since she suffered a heavy head knock in Canberra's 4-3 loss to Newcastle.
Heyman scored the opening goal against the Jets, but was forced off in the second half on Sunday at McKellar Park after copping a shoulder charge from Newcastle's Natasha Prior that left her floored for several minutes.
Canberra coach Njegosh Popovich said Heyman avoided a concussion, but was left with a black left eye.
"Michelle got a severe hit to the eye," he said.
"She won't be training for 10 days just to make sure that everything settles down, and she's got another appointment early next week to see if it's all healed up properly."
There were fears that Heyman may be in doubt for Canberra's next match at home against Brisbane Roar on December 10.
However, the international break this weekend will mean Heyman shouldn't miss a match.
"An 80 per cent fit Michelle is probably better than most other players at 100 per cent," Popovich said.
"So we'll give her every opportunity to recover properly. It's an eye, so we want to make sure it's recovered 100 per cent, and she doesn't have any long-term injury."
Heyman is the latest casualty for Canberra, as Chilean international Maria Rojas deals with a knee injury, and Hayley Taylor-Young was ruled out for the season last week with a re-injured ankle.
United are working on signing a replacement for Taylor-Young, which will be a boost as they search for their first win of the season.
"We're sitting third in terms of the goal-scoring, and we have two games in hand. So I'm pretty confident we'll turn it around," Popovich said.