South Sydney Rabbitohs fullback Latrell Mitchell will make his return at left center, despite coach Wayne Bennett previously dismissing the idea. Experienced winger Alex Johnston missed training on Tuesday after sustaining a rib injury in the win over Penrith, forcing him out of Friday night's game against the Sydney Roosters.
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04-03, 2025Isaiah Tass and Michael Chee-Kam will fill the wing positions for South Sydney, while Jack Wighton shifts to the right to partner Mitchell in the centers. Jye Gray retains his spot at fullback, with Bennett rewarding the diminutive but lightning-fast player for his impressive performances in the opening month. Gray is the surprise early leader in the Dally M Medal race.
Less than two weeks ago, before Mitchell even trained at center, Bennett also dismissed the notion of him playing there upon his return from a hamstring injury that sidelined him for the start of the 2025 season. However, Johnston's subsequent injury has left the understaffed Rabbitohs with little choice but to move Mitchell to the position where he won two premierships with the Roosters.
South Sydney forward Jai Arrow stated, "Whatever role (Mitchell) plays in our team, he's going to do the best he can to get the job done. I know if I was coming up against Latrell, I wouldn't want to see him at left center, especially with the attacking firepower they already have. I'm sure if I was (left winger) Tass, I'd be licking my lips."
Blaize Talagi has once again been overlooked by the struggling Penrith Panthers, even as their injury woes deepen ahead of their Round 5 clash with North Queensland. Penrith omitted Dylan Edwards from their lineup on Tuesday, despite Ivan Cleary stating earlier in the week that he had a chance to return from a groin strain, and they have now also lost Brian To'o (hamstring), Scott Sorensen (head knock), and Trent Toelau (knee).
Despite these withdrawals, Talagi has been overlooked for the fourth time in five rounds after leaving Parramatta to become the most hyped external recruit in the Penrith dynasty. Talagi has been named as a reserve player as Penrith struggles to end their first three-game losing streak since 2019.
Coach Cleary dropped Casey McLean after the Round 4 loss to South Sydney but has recalled him to replace To'o on the wing, with Matt Eisenhuth joining the bench. As expected, inspirational halfback Nathan Cleary returns from a head knock.
Elsewhere, Newcastle's Leo Thompson has recovered from a knee injury ahead of schedule and will face Canterbury, who he will join as a star signing next year. Brodie Jones drops to 18th man to make way for Thompson, while Bulldogs fullback Jacob Kiraz has been named in the reserves and could return from a hip issue.
Parramatta coach Jason Lyles has unleashed rookie hooker Riley Smith in an attempt to spark the Eels out of their winless start to the season, dropping Joey Lussick from his 17-man squad. Mid-season addition Dylan Walker will make his Eels debut off the bench against St. George Illawarra, with Dean Hawkins retaining his spot at halfback.
The only other winless team in the NRL, the Dolphins, have resisted the urge to make wholesale changes as Kristian Woolf searches for his first win as head coach. Connelly Lemuelu returns from an eye injury to join the forward pack, replacing the suspended captain Tom Gilbert in the only change for the match against the Gold Coast.
Mawene Hiroti and Tom Hazelton have been added to Cronulla's 17-man squad to face Canberra after Kade Dykes (hamstring) and Sifa Talakai (head knock) went down in the loss to Canterbury. Wests Tigers' Adam Doueihi returns from a groin strain after missing Sunday's pre-game warm-up with a groin strain, while Latu Fainu replaces the suspended Jarome Luai in the halves for the clash against Brisbane.
Jayden Hunt will play his first game of the season as the Broncos reshuffle their lineup due to the suspension of second-rower Jordan Riki. Leigh Hopoate replaces Tom Trbojevic (knee) at fullback for Manly, but hooker Lachlan Croker is still at least another week away from recovering from his own knee issue. Jahrome Hughes has been named in the reserves for Melbourne's game against Manly and could return from a hand injury.
