The NZ Warriors have named key back David Fusitu'a to an extended bench for their clash with the South Sydney Rabbitohs at Bankwest Stadium on Friday.
Fusitu'a comes in for Hayze Perham in the sole change to the 21-man squad that overcame the North Queensland Cowboys 37-26 in Townsville on Friday.
Last month, the 25-year-old remained in Auckland for personal reasons when the team travelled to Australia to go into quarantine at their initial base in Tamworth.
He arrived a week later and was forced to go into self-isolation in Sydney for 14 days - unable to train with the rest of the squad - before joining the team when it moved to its Terrigal base on the Central Coast.
Fusitu'a hasn't featured since the round two loss to the Canberra Raiders in March.
Now presumably up to speed, the try-scoring machine has been included in the wider squad, although it's still unclear where he may fit in.
The Tonga international began the season at centre rather than his traditional position on the wing.
But in the injury absence of Ken Maumalo and in light of the encouraging form of Peta Hiku and Gerard Beale in the centres, he may be asked to return to the edge at the expense of either Patrick Herbert or Adam Pompey.
Coach Stephen Kearney will likely use the coming week to assess the level of Fusitu'a's conditioning before deciding whether or not to promote him to the game-day squad.
Sitting one spot above the Warriors in 10th on the NRL ladder, the Rabbitohs are coming off a 32-12 thumping of the Gold Coast Titans, a win that snapped a three-game losing streak.
Coach Wayne Bennett has named the same squad to take on the Warriors, with star half Cody Walker set to make his 100th NRL appearance.
Aside from the 40 points scored in last year’s first-round win over Canterbury, the Warriors’ 37-point haul against the Cowboys was the most the club has scored in a match since the 50-14 victory over Newcastle in June 2016.
History won't be on the Warriors' side on Friday, having beaten the Rabbitohs just once - in Perth in 2018 - in the past 10 meetings between the two teams.
Join us for live updates of Warriors v Rabbitohs from 8pm Friday
