Brisbane are on the verge of blooding teen rookie sensation Payne Haas against a rampant South Sydney pack on Thursday night.
The 117kg, 18-year-old is a chance to earn his NRL debut with prop Matt Lodge under an injury cloud with a rib problem.
Coach Wayne Bennett said Lodge was "50-50" after he was restricted to limited duties during Wednesday's captain's run.
Haas is arguably the most heavily hyped rookie in the game after fielding interest from 10 clubs as well as the NFL before re-signing with Brisbane.
Bennett is wary of handing Haas his debut too early after he only stepped up to open-age football this year via the Queensland Cup.
"He's close to it but he still hasn't got on the field yet," Bennett said.
"He's had seven or eight weeks at state league level.
"He's a different boy to when he started there.
"It's a good competition and it's where all our players are coming through now. Tevita (Pangai Jnr) came through there, Joe Ofahengaue."
The inclusion of Haas shapes as a major gamble against a South Sydney pack which has led the competition for metres made this year with 1488m per game.
Under Anthony Seibold, the Rabbitohs have dominated the ruck and are searching for their fifth win in six starts.
According to Fox Sports Stats, they get quick play-the-balls 58 per cent of the time - the best rate in the competition.
Souths will once again be without talisman Sam Burgess due to suspension, however the Rabbitohs have proved this year they're no longer a one-man band.
Burgess' brothers Tom and George have rediscovered the sort of form they produced during the Bunnies' 2014 title run.
The potential loss of Lodge comes on top of the fact the Broncos will be without the go-forward of their biggest workhorse in Josh McGuire.
The Broncos lock has been shoe-horned into the unfamiliar position of hooker with Andrew McCullough out with an elbow ligament injury.
Rabbitohs coach Anthony Seibold worked closely with McGuire during his stint as Queensland assistant coach and said he had no doubts about whether he could handle the positional switch.
"Josh has played for Australia, he's an outstanding player," Seibold said.
"We've got to go out there and limit what he does out of dummy-half. Josh is an elite player. Elite players can play multiple positions."
STATS THAT MATTER
* The Broncos have won five straight against the Rabbitohs.
* Souths are second in points (24 per game), tries (4.3 per game) and tackle busts (30.3 per game).
* Brisbane's 116 points after seven matches is its second fewest for the club over the last 20 years.
Source: Fox Sports Stats
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