Brisbane Broncos’ mid-year recruit Ben Talty has been dropped for this Sunday’s NRL grand final in Sydney, making way for the returning Pat Carrigan.
Talty joined the club from the North Sydney Bears on a train-and-trial deal from the NSW Cup. But he impressed so much, he ended up playing in 10 NRL matches this season.
After coming off the bench in Brisbane’s comeback preliminary final win over the Penrith Panthers, the 26-year-old has been listed on an extended bench for Sunday’s grand final against the Melbourne Storm.
Carrigan missed the preliminary final after being suspended for a high tackle during Brisbane’s epic qualifying final win over the Canberra Raiders.
Meanwhile, Brisbane coach Michael Maguire has elected to keep Ben Hunt in the halves, and start Ezra Mam off the bench.
Mam — who scored a hat-trick as five-eighth in Brisbane’s last grand final appearance in 2023 — returned from a hamstring injury in the preliminary final and made an impact off the bench.
Maguire has elected not to select a third different starting halves combination in this finals series, after using Hunt and the now-injured Billy Walters for the win over the Raiders in Canberra on September 14.
The Melbourne Storm has named an unchanged line-up from the side that defeated the Cronulla Sharks in last Friday’s preliminary final.
Melbourne Storm Brisbane BroncosRyan Papenhuyzen1. FullbackReece WalshWill Warbrick2. WingerJosiah KarapaniJack Howarth3. CentreKotoni StaggsNick Meaney4. CentreGehamat ShibasakiXavier Coates5. WingerDeine MarinerCameron Munster6. Five-eighthBen HuntJahrome Hughes7. HalfbackAdam ReynoldsStefano Utoikamanu8. PropCorey JensenHarry Grant9. HookerCory PaixJosh King10. PropPayne HaasShawn Blore11. Second rowBendan PiakuraEliesa Katoa12. Second rowJordan RikiTrent Loiero13. LockPat CarriganTyran Wishart14. InterchangeErza MamAtivalu Lisati15. InterchangeKobe HetheringtonTui Kamikamica16. InterchangeXavier WillisonAlec MacDonald17. InterchangeTyson SmoothyABC Sport Daily podcast