Brisbane have named three rookies in an 18-man squad to play Melbourne on Saturday night after deciding against backing up their five Australian Test players.

Wynnum Manly winger Shea Moylan was the major shock when coach Anthony Griffin released his squad on Tuesday which did not contain any of the players selected for Friday night's Test between Australia and New Zealand.

The club's colts - hooker Kurt Baptise and youngster Justin Hunt, who recently scored three tries in a Queensland Cup game - were the other two rookies named.

All three trained at Red Hill on Tuesday.

However, Moylan could be denied his NRL debut with Brisbane's sixth Test representative Gerard Beale, unlikely to be included in Kiwi coach Stephen Kearney's Test 17.

He would play centre with Dale Copley moving out to the wing at Moylan's expense.

Griffin has already told skipper Darren Lockyer, Sam Thaiday, Justin Hodges, Ben Hannant and rookie winger Jharal Yow Yeh they won't be required to play 24 hours after locking horns with New Zealand at Skilled Park.

Even if Lockyer wants to play on Saturday morning, Brisbane's coaching staff believe the 34-year-old veteran is better off sitting out what would be his third game in eight days.

Brisbane's squad to play Melbourne at Suncorp on Friday night is: Corey Norman, Dane Gagai, Jack Reed, Dale Copley, Shea Moylan, Ben Hunt, Peter Wallace, Nick Kenny, Andrew McCullough, Mitchell Dodds, Alex Glenn, Dane Carlaw, Corey Parker (capt). Interchange: Kurt Baptise, Scott Anderson, Dunamis Lui, David Hala, Justin Hunt.

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