Former Wellingtons Cowboy Brent Naden will get the call-up to fill the holes in the Penrith Panthers' centre left by the injuries suffered by Waqa Blake and Dean Whare.
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The youngster will make his debut on the big stage against the Manly Sea Eagles during round 12 of the NRL, where most teams will find their depth tested by the departures of their most talented players incurred by the Origin series' kick-off on Wednesday, June 5.
Penrith will also be entering Round 12 without their man of the match from their prior bout against the Paramatta Eels in Round 11, Nathan Cleary who's been called up for the NSW Origin side.
Naden, who signed with the Panthers at the age of 18, also played rep footy in the State of Origin under 20's competition in 2015, there, he helped get the Blues juniors side over the line in their 32 - 16 win in Brisbane.
That year, he also represented the Penrith Panthers in the Holden Cup, where he notched up a try in the opening stanza of the Panthers under 20's Premiership-winning effort and got to hold the trophy aloft after captaining the team throughout the playing season, even being named to the 2015 team of the year's bench.
Naden returned to the Panthers after spending three years away, having spent two years with the Canberra Raiders and a further season with the Newcastle Knights.
After waiting over three years to make his first-grade debut, Naden will now get the chance after only training part-time for much of the season and featuring in the Panther's Canterbury Cup side.
He'll make his debut alongside Dubbo local Isaah Yeo, who had been feared to miss the rest of the season following shoulder surgery, but will now shift to the centre to replace Malakai Wetene-Zelezniak, who was expected to start after Blake and Whare were ruled out, but is himself excluded with a rib injury.
Naden will make a start as something of an underdog, with the Panthers having to request an exemption from the NRL to field Naden against Manly given he's not named on the club's top 30 list.
Panthers coach Ivan Cleary spoke about the club's form ahead of the Round 12 clash, noting that both they and Manly were missing key elements ahead of the match, but was optimistic about Naden's potential.
"Nado's been through our system, he's from out at Wellington, played at the SG Ball level and played really well through our under 20's teams and the premier league," Cleary said.
"He left for a little bit, but he's found his way back, and it's always great to give a guy like that, who's given our club a lot of service the opportunity.
"I'm very excited for Brent and his family, and he's really keen for tomorrow night."
