Darren Lockyer heads a host of changes to the Brisbane Broncos side with coach Anthony Griffin re-calling his representative stars to face Penrith on Friday night.
A bold Griffin made the unique move of resting his Test Match stars for last weeks’ 22-29 loss to Melbourne – the game played just 24 hours after Australia defeated New Zealand on the Gold Coast.
Only winger Jharal Yow Yeh backed up for the Broncos however fullback Gerard Beale also played having missed final New Zealand team selection.
With Lockyer, Justin Hodges, Sam Thaiday and Ben Hannant watching from the sidelines, the young Broncos pushed a star-studded Melbourne Storm to the limit before a late field goal and try in the final seconds resulted in Brisbane’s second defeat of the season.
It also ended a seven game winning streak for Brisbane but all four are back in their regular positions to face Penrith away on Friday night – just six weeks after the Broncos beat the Panthers 18-10 at Suncorp Stadium.
Hannant’s return sees Mitchell Dodds drop back to the bench while Dane Carlaw and Dunamis Lui return to the Queensland Cup.
With Shane Tronc (neck) and Josh McGuire (eye) on the injured list, young prop David Hala has been retained on the bench after impressing against the Storm.
Ben Hunt injured a finger in the last match and his utility role will be filled by Corey Norman.
With the bye next weekend there is a chance Hunt will miss just one match while Tronc, McGuire, fullback Josh Hoffman (corked shin) and back-rower Ben Te’o (broken arm) will all push for selection in Round 12.
Friday’s Round 10 match against Penrith will be live into Queensland from 7:30pm on Channel Nine.
Cowboys eye Five
The North Queensland Cowboys will aim for their fifth straight home victory at Dairy Farmers Stadium when they host Parramatta on Saturday night.
A four game NRL winning streak came to a thudding halt on Sunday when a conservative Cowboys struggled to score points against the defending Premiers St George-Illawarra.
The final 8-22 scoreline befitted the contest with the Cowboys only try coming to captain Johnathan Thurston in the final minute.
Thurston’s sideline conversion took him past Josh Hannay to become North Queensland Cowboys’ highest points-scorer with 883 career points to date.
On Saturday night North Queensland face a return clash with Parramatta after the Eels snuck home 22-20 in Sydney six weeks ago.
Coach Neil Henry has made just one change to his side with Glenn Hall returning from a corked thigh.
His late withdrawal meant Tariq Sims started the match against the Dragons and hooker James Segeyaro played from the bench.
Both have been named on a five man bench for the Parramatta game on Saturday night.
With a bye next weekend, a win over the 11th-placed Eels could see North Queensland firmly entrenched in the top four heading into the Origin period.
Kick-off is at 7:30pm Saturday and will be available on Fox Sports Viewers Choice application.
Bailey Returns
Titans prop Luke Bailey will celebrate signing a new two year contract by returning from a neck injury against Manly on Monday night.
The Titans announced today Bailey, with 15 Origins for New South Wales and four Tests for Australia to his name, will stay at the club until the end of 2013.
That news helps off-set last weeks’ surprise retirement of foundation player Brad Meyers due to injury.
Meyers played 177 NRL games (75 for Gold Coast), 51 English Super League matches, three Origins for Queensland and four Tests for Australia in a distinguished career.
The announcement came after a wrist injury ruled him out for the remainder of the 2011 season.
The Titans season is possibly on the line Monday night against a Manly side who appear to be a genuine Premiership contender.
With a bye next weekend, the 14th-placed Titans need a victory over a strong Sea Eagles side to keep in touch with the top eight.
Bailey was a late absentee from the disappointing 14-34 loss to the Warriors and with Monday’s game with Manly the Titans third straight home match, victory is crucial.
The front-rower is the only addition to the squad with his replacement Michael Henderson dropping back to a five man bench.
Monday’s match is live on Fox Sports with kick-off at 7pm.
Meanwhile Queensland State of Origin preparations hit full swing next week with the side for the May 25 series opener to be announced on Tuesday.
Brisbane Broncos vs. Penrith, Friday 7:30pm, (Channel Nine, live)
Gerard Beale, Dale Copley, Jack Reed, Justin Hodges, Jharal Yow Yeh, Darren Lockyer (c), Peter Wallace, Ben Hannant, Andrew McCullough, Nick Kenny, Alex Glenn, Sam Thaiday, Corey Parker (c). Interchange: Corey Norman, Scott Anderson, Mitchell Dodds, David Hala.
North Queensland Cowboys vs. Eels, Saturday 7:30pm, (Fox Sports, live)
Matthew Bowen, Ashley Graham, Antonio Winterstein, Willie Tonga, Kalifa Faifai Loa, Ray Thompson, Johnathan Thurston (c), Matt Scott (c), Aaron Payne, James Tamou, Gavin Cooper, Glenn Hall, Dallas Johnson. Interchange: Scott Bolton, Leeson Ah Mau, Tariq Sims, Ashton Sims, James Segeyaro (one to be omitted).
Gold Coast Titans vs. Manly, Monday 7pm, (Fox Sports, live)
Preston Campbell, Steve Michaels, Esi Tonga, Bodene Thompson, David Mead, William Zillman, Scott Prince (c), Luke Bailey, Riley Brown, Matthew White, Greg Bird, Mark Minichiello, Ashley Harrison. Interchange: Michael Henderson, Ryan James, Ben Ridge, Luke O’Dwyer, Kayne Lawton (one to be omitted).
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Hunt out for 6 weeks with fractured finger. Teo has had cast removed and trained today.
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