It's still not official but Darius Boyd is primed to make his NRL comeback from serious injury for the Broncos.
Brisbane coach Wayne Bennett resisted the temptation of naming Boyd in his line-up for Friday night's home clash with Penrith.
However, he may yet be a late inclusion after Broncos staff on Tuesday claimed Boyd had ticked all the boxes in his recovery from an Achilles injury to put himself in the selection mix two months ahead of schedule.
There was a new fullback when the Broncos line-up was confirmed on Tuesday - Jordan Kahu returned from a hamstring complaint, shifting Lachlan Maranta to the wing.
But it appears a matter of time before prized recruit Boyd makes his long-awaited return for the Broncos.
"It was always between five and seven months and now it is five months," Broncos conditioner Jeremy Hickmans said.
"Whether he is ready to go now or in a few weeks' time will be told on the training field this week.
"Darius is pretty sensible, he understands the process.
"He always knew you can't come back too fast otherwise it increases risks.
"Having said that like any footy player he is going to push himself."
Boyd trained strongly on Tuesday, something that is also good news for Queensland, who name their Origin I squad in a fortnight.
Boyd was ruled out for up to seven months when he broke down with a ruptured Achilles at pre-season training after signing a lucrative deal to come back to the Broncos following stints at St George Illawarra and Newcastle.
"He might be a week by week proposition," Hickmans said.
"It is about the coach and the player being comfortable with him going back out there.
"Whether it is now or two weeks' time - your guess is as good as mine."
Broncos backrower Matt Gillett believed he would see Boyd on the field sooner rather than later.
"He is looking good and been training hard, doing all the right things off the field - I would love to be playing with him soon," he said.
"It feels like a quick recovery to be honest.
"He brings a lot of experience in that backline - to have him back out there would be a huge advantage.
"And it's good for the younger blokes who haven't played with him to see his level of professionalism."
Meanwhile, Gillett lamented the loss of Sam Thaiday who has been suspended for a week over a crusher tackle on Kiwi forward Martin Taupau in Sunday's trans-Tasman Test.
He has been replaced by Alex Glenn, back from a facial fracture.
"He's been one of our leaders in the pack, that responsibility will spread the workload amongst the forwards against the Panthers," Gillett said.
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