Lockyer to miss two NRL games
Back-rower one week, winger the next - now Brisbane's utility find Matt Gillett is in line to have a crack at skipper Darren Lockyer's five-eighth role against Parramatta on Friday night.
With Lockyer ruled out on Monday for at least two weeks with a rib cartilage injury, coach Ivan Henjak faces another tough call against the desperate Eels whose season is on the line.
Henjak sprung a surprise last week naming Gillett on the wing for injured speedster Antonio Winterstein.
The 22 year-old responded with two tries in Brisbane's 36-24 win over the Cowboys.
A red hot favourite to take out NRL rookie-of-the-year honours, Gillett has already played second-row, centre and wing as Brisbane's new Mr Fixit.
His next, and by far toughest assignment, could come on Friday night, starting in Lockyer's No.6 jumper or sharing the playmaking job with another of the club's young guns, Corey Norman.
Gillett's stunning debut year already has him an outside chance of cracking Australia's end-of-year Tri Nations squad.
He played a lot of his 2009 Queensland Cup season for Norths alternating between lock and five-eighth.
In 23 games he scored nine tries, ending the season as Queensland Cup rookie-of-the-year and Norths' player-of-the-year.
He's a certainty to be in Queensland's emerging Origin camp in mid-November and could even cap his impressive debut season by being picked in Tim Sheens's Kangaroo Four Nations squad.
Norman, who deputised for Lockyer during the Origin series when Brisbane turned their season around after a horror 2-6 start, is also in the running to start at five-eighth against the Eels.
"He (Norman) did a good job for us when he stepped up earlier in the year," said Henjak when discussing his five-eighth options.
"There's no reason why he can't step up again and he needs to.
"All the boys are confident in him."
Norman, who's been playing well in the Under-20s competition, said he didn't want to go out and "make up the numbers" if given the opportunity to again play in Lockyer's position.
"I know the players have confidence in me and I would definitely want to go out with the idea of contributing," he said.
Lockyer visited a doctor on Monday after having his ribs rattled by Cowboys forward Luke O'Donnell in a big tackle during Brisbane's 36-24 win in Townsville.
A win against the Eels would almost secure Brisbane their 19th straight finals campaign.
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