Broncos centre Gehamat Shibasaki has profited from the latest drama in Brisbane after the rep star was recalled to the starting side for Saturday night’s NRL clash with the Titans. While there’s mixed news for Souths pair Campbell Graham and Brandon Smith, with the former to return from injury and the latter having to wait a bit longer for his first game of the season.
On Tuesday afternoon, Shibasaki was named to return at centre for the Broncos’ Round 5 clash, having been dropped by coach Michael Maguire after their shock Round 2 loss to Parramatta. The off-contract rep star didn’t play in Brisbane’s come-from-behind win over Melbourne, but he came off the bench to score the match-clinching try for the Broncos against the Dolphins last week after replacing the injured Grant Anderson.
Gehamat Shibasaki (L) is expected to be recalled to the Broncos’ starting side, while Souths coach Wayne Bennett (R) has a big call to make around two stars coming back from injury. Pic: AAP/Getty
Brisbane have confirmed that Anderson is set to be sidelined for at least two months with a knee injury. And the Broncos have dropped fellow outside back Josiah Karapani after he was involved in a nightclub incident in the early hours of Saturday morning, following the win over the Dolphins.
That opened the door for Shibasaki to regain his starting spot at centre alongside Kotoni Staggs, in the same combination that helped fire Brisbane to last year’s premiership. Shibasaki was one of Brisbane’s fairytale stories in 2025, but paid the price for some lacklustre defence as the Broncos suffered back-to-back losses to start the new season.
Skipper Adam Reynolds says Shibasaki’s attitude has been superb despite his axing, and the recall is a just reward for the 28-year-old. “It could have been easy for him to kick stones, but he has been super professional at training and one of the most consistent,” Reynolds said about his teammate. “Once he got back out there I knew he would get the job done (against the Dolphins).”
Souths training offers clue about potential returns for stars
Meanwhile, Souths winger Graham has been named to return from a shoulder injury in the Good Friday clash against the Bulldogs. Graham was ruled out of the Round 3 win over the Tigers and had an extra week to recover from his shoulder complaint as the Rabbitohs had the bye last week.
Campbell Graham (L) is expected to return in Round 5, while Souths teammate Brandon Smith (R) looks less likely to play his first game of the season after a calf complaint. Pic: Getty
He was spotted training in and out of the Rabbitohs’ main squad on Tuesday in a clear sign he was set to be named for the game against the Dogs. Graham sat out a number of opposed sets at Tuesday’s training session but it was understood to be down to load management for the 26-year-old.
The news is not as good for Kiwi Test hooker Smith, who will have to wait another week to make his comeback from a calf complaint after being left out of coach Wayne Bennett’s 22-man squad. Smith began Tuesday’s training session with the Souths rehab group before linking up with the NSW Cup side for opposed sets, in a major clue that he wouldn’t be making an NRL comeback on Friday.