Kevin Walters has one of his biggest pre-season decisions on his hands after two highly-touted fringe first-graders put their hand up for Brisbane's final roster spot.
The baby Broncos touched up the Wynnum Manly Seagulls 44-12 on Saturday night in the first trial of the season, and two members of the Brisbane spine outshone the rest, leaving hard decisions to be made at Red Hill over the next fortnight.
Tristan Sailor is most definitely one of them, producing three try-assists before crossing for a four-pointer of his own, and admitting post-match how nervous he was before the trial clash.
“I don't tend to get nervous, but this one did feel a little different,” Tristan told News Corp.
“Dad (Wendell Sailor) called me this morning and he was quite emotional.
“He got pretty emotional so he kept it short, but he just said how proud he was of me for pulling on the Broncos jersey and that he respects everything I've done as a man and how proud he was to see me out there.
“To have this Broncos jersey on (means a lot). It's a big achievement not only for myself but my family and friends as well.
“It's such a prestigious jersey and to get the opportunity to pull it on, no matter the game, is awesome.”
While Sailor shone, an impressive effort from hooker Tyson Smoothy left Walters to reconsider the make-up of his Top 30 before the opening round rolls around in three weeks time.
Smoothy debuted for Melbourne in Round 1, 2021 against the South Sydney Rabbitohs though the likes of Brandon Smith and Harry Grant kept him out of the side, plying his trade in the Queensland Cup in 2022.
Despite already having three hookers in their squad already in the form of Billy Walters, Cory Paix and youngster Blake Mozer, however, Smoothy certainly bought himself some minutes over the next two trials after an eye-catching Broncos debut.
The hooker scored the opening try of the trial, though his most impressive aspect was his patience with the ball-in-hand, not overplaying what's in front of him and leading the forward pack around the park.
Almost exclusively a fullback to most, Sailor's hidden versatility may get him over the line.
“Fullback is my preferred position along with five-eighth but part of my game is being versatile,” he said to News Corp.
“Positions like wing and centre are normally for the bigger boys, but we've seen people like Corey Thompson use their speed around there and be super impactful.
“At fullback, we have Walshy who is an amazing player and then Selwyn and Herbie who have that innate ability to play as big fullbacks, so for me it's about learning from them and improving my game so that if the opportunity arises, I'm ready.”
Kevvie may opt to leave that roster spot open until mid-season in the case that an experienced player hits the market, however, he looks set to reward one of the two youngsters before Round 1, with Sailor currently the favourite.
There also remains the case of TC Robati, who is reportedly on the verge of getting the sack following another off-field incident, which would then open up a second roster spot to snare both talented youngsters.
Keenan Palasia pushed for an early release late last year after inking a two-year deal with the Gold Coast Titans starting in 2024, also presenting a chance to open a second spot.