Brisbane's hooker crisis may be over thanks to the man who started it - Andrew McCullough.
The tough rake has made a bold bid to make a stunning comeback from an elbow injury after returning to training ahead of Thursday night's NRL clash with Canterbury.
The Broncos appeared to be running out of hooker options after McCullough went down two weeks ago with a hyperextended elbow and replacement rake Josh McGuire suffered an ankle injury in last round's 24-20 win over South Sydney.
Specialists told McGuire on Monday that he would not require surgery but would be sidelined for up to six weeks.
However, coach Wayne Bennett may have dodged a bullet after McCullough made a surprise return to training on Monday.
The hooker was expected to be sidelined for four to six weeks but he is now back in the mix after missing just one game - last round's win over the Rabbitohs.
Brisbane playmaker Anthony Milford did not rule out McCullough making a remarkable return against the Bulldogs.
"I am not too sure. He had a good run out there today so will just see what happens," he said.
McCullough, Todd Murphy and Kodi Nikorima trained at dummy half on Monday.
Milford didn't seem surprised that McCullough was running around barely two weeks after suffering his serious injury.
"Everyone knows how Macca is. He is doing everything off the field to make sure he is right for the game; I am sure he will be back soon," he said.
After savouring McCullough's return, Brisbane then welcomed confirmation that McGuire would not require ankle surgery.
"The results are positive. As expected, he will not require surgery on his joint after damaging his anterior ligament," a Broncos statement said.
"There was no damage to his previously ruptured achilles tendon."
Broncos high performance manager Jeremy Hickmans backed McGuire to return to the field soon.
"The good news is Josh does not require any surgery and he will now undergo a normal rehabilitation," he said.
"We expect this would keep him out football for a maximum of six weeks, but with a successful rehab period there is hope of an even earlier return."
Meanwhile, Milford said Brisbane (10th, 4-4 record) were ready to turn their season around against the 14th-placed Bulldogs (2-6) after downing the Rabbitohs in what he described as their best win of 2018.
