Dolphins head coach Wayne Bennett will ring several surprise changes for the club ahead of their clash with the Brisbane Broncos on Saturday evening, while Kevin Walters has confirmed Payne Haas will play.
In a game that will see several high-profile players return from injury, Haas headlines the list after missing recent weeks with a foot injury.
Coach Kevin Walters confirmed the news to the media after the captain's run on Friday morning.
โPayne's fine,โ Walters told media after training, per the Broncos' website.
โHe got through training really well this morning. He's a real pro to get himself back in that short period, and to be fit and ready to go really does show the class and professionalism of Payne.โ
Brisbane confirmed Xavier Willison will move back to the interchange bench for the game but refused to confirm the final make-up of his bench.
Josiah Karapani, who was named on the bench, may yet be required in the starting side, removing the need for an extra change, with Deine Mariner battling the flu and no guarantee to take his place against the Dolphins.
โWe'll make a decision on Deine closer to game time โ he's got a pretty bad case of the flu and has had it all week โ but we'll give him every chance to play,โ Walters said.
It has also now been confirmed that the Dolphins will welcome back Jeremy Marshall-King from a foot injury of his own and Tevita Pangai Junior. Both players were named in the reserves on Tuesday as a chance of playing and have now been confirmed.
News Corp, however, is reporting the changes are widespread for the Dolphins.
It's understood Marshall-King will come straight into the starting side, although it's unclear if Max Plath is fit after battling his own injury issue.
Halfback Isaiya Katoa will play from the bench, with Sean O'Sullivan and Jake Averillo to form a new halves pairing, while Trai Fuller will play at fullback and Hamiso-Tabuai-Fidow shuffles into the centres.
19-man team lists will be confirmed at 5:30 pm (AEST) on Friday - 24 hours ahead of kick-off - with the winners keeping their finals hopes alive and the losers all but extinguished.
