Parramatta coach Brad Arthur isn’t saddling Dylan Brown with great expectations ahead of his NRL return from a back injury against Canberra, realising the teen star is still a work in progress.
The 19-year-old will line up for his first game since late March when the Eels take on Canberra at Darwin’s TIO Stadium on Saturday.
Brown spent five weeks in a brace after he suffered a stress fracture in his back and hasn’t been sighted since round three.
He returned to full training several weeks ago but the Eels took a cautious approach with his recovery.
Arthur is now satisfied the time is right for Brown’s return, a move which will ease the pressure on halves partner Mitchell Moses and give the side a valuable additional kicking option.
“He’s got through training really well, I had a chat to him about our expectations,” Arthur said.
“We’ve got to remember he’s only played three NRL games and he’s been out for a while.
“We just need him to do what he was doing before he got injured which is take the line on, be a steady influence in the team and make his tackles.
“He’s been in full training for a couple of weeks now and maybe we could have pushed him a bit earlier, but he’s young and he’s got a long career ahead of him.”
Arthurs was also pleased to have former Penrith outside back Waqa Blake on board after he sealed a 4-1/2-year deal on Thursday.
Blake has been out since late May with a torn medial ligament in his knee and is expected to make his Eels debut in the next month.
“It’s exciting for us, we always want to strengthen our roster. We’re happy with the players we have here but there’s always room to improve,” Arthur said.
“Waqa’s going to do that, he provides a little X-factor. The guys (medical staff) had a look at him yesterday and they’re thinking maybe (round) 19, 20.
“He’s a big body, he’s got a lot of speed.
“Sometimes with those players with those players with X-factor you don’t have to give them a lot of coaching, you’ve just got to get the ball to them and they can create linebreaks, create opportunities for people around or score tries from nothing.”
The Raiders, who are seeking their fourth straight win to cement their place in the top four, welcome back influential English hooker Josh Hodgson from a broken thumb.
STATS THAT MATTER
* This will be the eighth Premiership game to be played in Darwin since 2012. Parramatta will play a game for the sixth consecutive season at TIO Stadium and have won four of the previous five matches.
* The Raiders have won 11 of the past 13 games against the Eels, including the last five.
