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Message: [QUOTE="Super Freak, post: 2857816, member: 8536"] BRONCOS skipper Darius Boyd will be back for Brisbane next week as they ramp up their campaign for a top-four finish. But before Brisbane’s captain courageous returns from his broken thumb, the club will take a fullback gamble for Thursday’s clash with the Bulldogs, with Kodi Nikorima to step into the No.1 jersey. Broncos coach Wayne Bennett revealed the selection shock at training on Wednesday, with last week’s debutant Jamayne Isaako dropping back to reserve grade with Souths Logan. Boyd, who said last week he was hoping to be back by Round 21, had a guard around his hand as he trained, but Bennett confirmed his star back will return for next week’s meeting with the Eels. “He’ll play next week. He’s back next week,” Bennett said. The Broncos have had mixed results without Boyd, winning two games against the Raiders and Knights, but also suffering a shocking 42-12 loss to the Storm. Nikorima, who played at No.1 for most his under-20s days, will be the third fullback Brisbane use in Boyd’s place with Jordan Kahu and Isaako both running in the position over the last month. Bennett said that while Isaako had done nothing wrong in his debut last week against Newcastle, he felt Brisbane needed to change tactics for the meeting with Canterbury. “Kodi will play fullback. We want him to play there,” Bennett said. “(Jamayne) hasn’t done anything wrong. Jamayne did a really good job (last week). I said that after the game, I told him that as well. But it’s a different game and different circumstances. “(Kodi) has played it at NRL (level) since I’ve been here. He’s very capable. He can’t bring any height but outside of that, (it’s) just a bit of experience.” With even Bennett taking playful jabs at Nikorima’s height, his skill under the high ball is something that is expected to be tested at Suncorp Stadium. He has shown before he can certainly be outjumped, after last year’s horror performance against towering Melbourne winger Suliasi Vunivalu, but Bulldogs coach Des Hasler was sceptical if the 174cm Nikorima would even start at fullback. When asked if he would look to test him with high balls, he only said: “We’ll have to see.” Nikorima showed no concerns however, even catching a bomb kick with just one hand. [URL]http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/nrl/teams/broncos/broncos-get-nrl-finals-push-boost-with-darius-boyd-close-to-return/news-story/fa1146ca22985cdb360de40386406e1f[/URL] [/QUOTE]

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