The Brisbane Broncos duo of skipper Adam Reynolds and forward Kobe Hetherington will both be unavailable to take on the North Queensland Cowboys on Saturday.
Out of the clash against their rivals, skipper Adam Reynolds has been ruled out with groin tightness, while Hetherington has been ruled out after sustaining a back cork.
Heading towards the backend of the season and with the finals series approaching, coach Kevin Walters is not willing to risk further injury to the two players by letting them play.
Jock Madden has been called up to replace Reynolds in the halves, while Xavier Wilson will move on to the interchange bench from the reserves in place of Hetherington.
“Reyno won't be able to play tomorrow and that creates an opportunity for Jock to come into the side – he has been playing some great football in the Queensland Cup and we have a lot of faith in him and now he gets his chance in a big game," coach Kevin Walter said.
“Kobe wasn't quite right either and Xavier has been there for the past month, so it's another good opportunity for one of young players to really show their skills.
“We've got a really strong squad in 2023 and we've had a good week of preparation – the weather up here in Townsville is great and we're really excited about tomorrow's game.”
The Brisbane Broncos will take on the North Queensland Cowboys on Saturday at 15:00 AEST.