NZ Warriors star Shaun Johnson has taken another step closer to returning from injury early against Brisbane Broncos on Saturday.
Johnson, 31, has missed his team's last two outings, since damaging a shoulder (pectoral) muscle in their season-opening loss against St George Dragons, with an initial prognosis of up to four weeks on the sidelines.
But coach Nathan Brown has named his kingpin on an extended bench for the Brisbane derby and insists his half is a better-than-even chance of making the matchday squad.
"He's much, much more likely than unlikely, to be honest with you," says Brown. "He trained the other day and got through that well.
"It's just a matter of ticking a couple of boxes, but he wouldn't be playing if he wasn't 100 percent fit.
"He's still got to tick a couple of boxes today and we're expecting him to be okay, but we probably won't know until tomorrow how he pulls up. All signs look like he's more than likely to play."
If he takes the field, Johnson will wear the unaccustomed No.24, after Brown has been forced to field three different halves pairings in three outings - Johnson and Kodi Nikorima against the Dragons, Ash Taylor and Chanel Harris-Tavita against Gold Coast Titans, and Nikorima and Harris-Tavita against Wests Tigers last week.
Nikorima and Harris-Tavita have again been named as the starting halves, but their spots are now under threat from a resurgent Johnson, who mixed moments of magic and madness in his only performance so far.
He put lock Josh Curran through a yawning midfield hole to create hooker Wayde Egan's try before halftime, before unleashed a massive 40-20 kick and finding second-rower Elisea Katoa with a marginal short pass to score in the second half.
But with the contest hanging in the balance, Johnson also attempted an ill-advised crossfield kick inside his own half that fell to the Dragons and resulted in a third try to rampaging winger Mikaele Ravalawa.
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