After two weeks on the sidelines watching the Broncos string together consecutive wins, James Roberts will make his reserve grade debut for feeder club Wynnum Manly Seagulls in the QLD Cup on Sunday.
Roberts was sensationally dropped after Brisbane's tumultuous 38-6 defeat to South Sydney in round eight and he hasn't got a look in since, with Anthony Seibold showing faith in young duo Kotoni Staggs and Gehamat Shibasaki in the centres.
A competition bye and visa issues prevented Roberts from working on his game in the lower grades for the past fortnight, but the Seagulls announced the trouble speedster will be a late inclusion for their round 11 clash against Norths Devils.
“James is a very talented player and we look forward to welcoming him into our side,'' Wynnum Manly coach Adam Brideson said.
''Norths are in-form and have been strong at home – it will be a big game for our club.”
Roberts will train with the team on Saturday while his NRL teammates prepare for battle across the ditch as they try to build momentum with a third straight win over the Warriors.
That fixture could have been Roberts' one last chance to save his position in Brad Fittler's squad, however the NSW coach has all but ruled out a recall.
"We want our players playing week in, week out at the highest quality they possibly can," he said.
"We want to inspire a lot of kids to play rugby league and it's going to be hard to do that from reserve grade."
