Interim coach Kieran Foran has opted against rushing young gun Joey Walsh into the halves for Manly’s game against the Dolphins as the club searches for its first win just a few days after the huge call to sack Anthony Seibold.
Manly is winless after dropping three games at home, with Clayton Faulalo named on the wing to replace the suspended Jason Saab.
But Walsh is stuck in the reserves despite calls from their fans for him to replace Luke Brooks in the starting side, with skipper Tom Trbojevic calling for patience.
“Joey’s going to be at this club for a long time and be a very, very successful first grade footy player for Manly,” he said.
“But for now, I think he needs to be developed into that player…he will get his time to play. It’s just about putting in the work, building himself up, and when he gets that opportunity, everyone will see how good he is.”
Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo has also stuck with his halves pairing of Matt Burton and Lachlan Galvin despite switching Stephen Crichton to five-eighth as they chased points against Newcastle last week.
Sam Hughes and Harry Hayes return for the Good Friday blockbuster against the Rabbitohs who get Campbell Graham back from injury, but Brandon Smith hasn’t been named as he continues to recover from a calf issue.
There’s good news for the resurgent Broncos who welcome back powerhouse prop Payne Haas for their clash against the Titans, with Gehamat Shibasaki returning to the starting side at centre.
He’s part of a reshuffled backline that has lost Grant Anderson to a knee injury, while Josiah Karapani was unavailable for selection which sees Deine Mariner shift to the wing.
The Warriors have suffered a blow with inspirational forward Mitch Barnett ruled out indefinitely after breaking his right thumb just two games back from a serious knee injury.
“He has had surgery but it’s yet to be determined when he is likely to be on the field again,” the club medical report read.
The Sharks have named Briton Nikora in the reserves after he missed the trip to Canberra with a broken nose, while it’s smooth sailing for the Wests Tigers who are flying after a big win in New Zealand.
They take on Parramatta on Easter Monday, with the Eels naming Joash Papalii at fullback to replace Isaiah Iongi (ankle injury). Jack de Belin and Charlie Guymer are part of the bench with Matt Doorey (ACL) out for the season.
Key props Trey Mooney and Josh Papalii are back for the big game in Newcastle, while Ivan Cleary has named Freddy Lussick at hooker to replace the suspended Mitch Kenny.
The Panthers face a Storm side that gets Nick Meaney back from a back issue, while Jack Howarth has been named despite leaving the field last weekend.
Lazarus Vaalepu has been included on a six-man bench alongside Jack Hetherington and Davvy Moale as the club deals with the shock news that veteran forward Tui Kamikamica suffered a suspected stroke.
And Lyhkan King-Togia will start at five-eighth for the Dragons in place of Kyle Flanagan who is continuing to recover following his shocking head knock on the Gold Coast, while Moses Suli and Toby Couchman also return, with David Fale replacing Tyrell Sloan on the wing.
