Parramatta coach Brad Arthur is set to drop a grand final bombshell with banished star Nathan Brown on the verge of a surprising recall after 12 weeks in the wilderness.
It comes as Penrith have decided to pull the pin on boom winger Taylan May’s hopes of recovering from a hamstring injury in time for the decider at Accor Stadium on Sunday night.
Nathan Brown is closing in on a return to the NRL for Sunday’s grand final.Credit:Getty Images
The Herald can reveal the Eels are giving strong consideration to bringing Brown back into the 17 for the decider, which would be his first game in the NRL since July 9.
Brown’s potential recall is likely to come at the expense of former Panthers forward Bryce Cartwright on the bench in the premiership decider against Penrith on Sunday.
Cartwright is shaping as the team’s 18th man despite being used as an interchange player in their thrilling preliminary final victory over the Cowboys on Friday night.
Brown last played in the NRL against the Wests Tigers in round 17 and, as first reported by the Herald, has been given permission to look around for a new deal elsewhere next year.
Nathan Brown at training on Monday.Credit:Getty
Sunday’s grand final could be Brown’s last game in the blue and gold, but the Eels are considering his selection to add some steel to their bench against arguably the best pack in the competition.
Just last week Arthur was forced to deny he had a feud with Brown which contributed to the former NSW forward being dropped.
Arthur has also vehemently denied he has argued with the senior players over Brown’s non-selection over the past few months.
Brown has been shopped to rival clubs for 2023. He recently changed management and has held discussions with his former club, the Wests Tigers, about a return.
It comes as Parramatta centre Tom Opacic faces a similar fate as he struggled through his own fitness test on Monday, with Bailey Simonsson expected to hold on to his position in the backline.
Opacic was seen mouthing the words “I think I tweaked it” during a fitness test.
Meanwhile, the Panthers are set to rub May out of Sunday’s grand final after he failed his own fitness test on his injured hamstring on Monday.
May was suspended for last week’s preliminary final against South Sydney but would have missed the game with a hamstring injury even if he had he not been charged by the match review committee for a high tackle on Parramatta’s Will Penisini in week one of the finals.
The Panthers were hopeful he would recover in time for Sunday’s NRL decider, however the club is set to make an early call on his availability.
Charlie Staines, who played the majority of the season in NSW Cup as a consequence of May’s meteoric rise, will retain his place in the team when it is named on Tuesday afternoon.
