NRL round 18 squad announcements

Titans: Apart from Moeaki Fotuaika moving back to the bench and Jaimin Jollife moving into the starting side, Gold Coast are 1-17, with Sam McIntyre the 18th man.

Coach Justin Holbrook has the luxury of naming the same 17 which performed so strongly in Canberra in round 16.

David Fifita missed Origin due to his one-game suspension for dangerous contact but he'll be on deck and ready to rip into the Eels pack.

Sam Stone, Jayden Campbell and Mitch Rein were cut from the extended squad 24 hours before kick-off.

Fifita has scored nine tries in his past five games at Cbus Super Stadium.

Eels: Origin duo Mitchell Moses and Junior Paulo are both out for the Eels with Jakob Arthur (No.21) and Marata Niukore (No.14) to start at halfback and prop.

The Eels are coming off the bye and welcome back hooker Reed Mahoney from the shoulder injury he suffered in round 13. Will Smith is on the bench and William Penisini is the 18th man.

Back-rower Isaiah Papali'i is right to go after copping a head knock against the Panthers in round 16.

Keegan Hipgrave and Joey Lussick were omitted from the extended squad on Thursday.

The Eels have won their past four games against the Titans.

Sea Eagles v Dragons, Friday 7.55pm, at Cbus Super Stadium

Sea Eagles: Origin stars Daly Cherry-Evans and Tom Trbojevic have both been rested after Origin III.

Josh Schuster moves from the second row to halfback with Reuben Garrick now the fullback and Moses Suli on the wing.

Karl Lawton is the new starting second-rower and Tevita Funa is the 18th man.

Jake Trbojevic (hip) remains sidelined.

Bench forward Toafofoa Sipley suffered a shoulder injury against the Raiders but will play.

Cade Cust and Jack Gosiewski drop out of the side that lost to Canberra.

Haumole Olakau'atu has scored four tries in his past four games.

Dragons: Origin pair Tariq Sims and Ben Hunt will start the match with the Dragons 1-17. Adam Clune is the 18th man.

Matt Dufty, Tyrell Fuimaono and Kaide Ellis will serve their one-game suspension this week for breaching biosecurity rules. 

Young gun Tyrell Sloan will line up at fullback while Jack de Belin shifts to prop and Jackson Ford comes in at lock.

Warriors forward Jamayne Taunoa-Brown has joined the club on a loan deal for the month of July and has been named on the bench. Poasa Faamausili is the other new face on the bench.

Talatau Amone and Jayden Sullivan were the first two players omitted 24 hours before kick-off.

The Dragons have won six of their past seven games against the Sea Eagles.

Cowboys v Roosters, Saturday 3pm at Queensland Country Bank Stadium

Cowboys: Fullback Valentine Holmes won't play against the Roosters on Saturday after injuring his shoulder in Origin III. Fellow Origin reps Francis Molo and Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow have been named to play.

Javid Bowen has been brought into the starting side for Holmes with Tabuai-Fidow moving to fullback. Daejarn Asi is 18th man and Lachlan Burr is the match-day omission.

With Heilum Luki out suspended Peter Hola is the new face on the interchange. Kane Bradley was omitted from the reserves on Friday.

Reuben Cotter (foot) and Ben Hampton (pectoral) are expected back in round 19.

Kyle Feldt requires one try to reach his century of NRL tries.

Roosters:Angus Crichton will start on the interchange in a late swap with Nat Butcher. Tukupa-Te Hau Tapua is the final cut and Adam Keighran is 18th man.

James Tedesco is out after playing for NSW in Origin III on Wednesday night, with Joey Many switching to fullback and Billy Smith earning a reprieve in the centres.

Jared Waerea-Hargreaves has taken over the captaincy.

Victor Radley will be all the better for his first hit-out last weekend after a five-week absence. 

Crichton's return pushes Isaac Liu up to the front row and Siosiua Taukeiaho is out due to hamstring tightness. 

Joseph Suaalii won't play again in 2021 with foot surgery planned.

Fletcher Baker is out of isolation and back on the bench after missing last week's game so Ben Thomas drops out.

The Roosters have won five of their past seven clashes against the Cowboys.

Raiders v Sharks, Saturday 5.30pm at Cbus Super Stadium

Raiders: Jack Wighton and Josh Papalii are named to back up after Origin III but the prop has been moved to the interchange an hour from kick-off in a swap with fellow veteran Sia Soliola who will start.

Matthew Timoko has been handed 18th man duties and Trey Mooney drops out on the final 17.

Prop Dunamis Lui suffered a calf strain against Manly on Thursday and is expected to miss two games.

Matt Frawley and Harley Smith-Shields were the two players to drop out 24 hours before kick-off.

The Raiders have defeated the Sharks in their past five clashes.

Sharks: Josh Hannay has stuck with the same 17 that knocked off the Warriors but switched Siosifa Talakai into the starting side and Briton Nikora back to the bench.

Royce Hunt is 18th man and Luke Metcalf is the match-day omission.

Matt Moylan remains sidelined with a calf injury so Braydon Trindall stays in the halves alongside Shaun Johnson.

Will Chambers is sidelined again as he quarantines after a trip to Victoria for the birth of his third child.

Royce Hunt (knee) is listed among the reserves as he nears a return.

Billy Magoulias and Andrew Fifita were the players to omitted 24 hours before kick-off.

The Sharks have won five of their past six games.

Storm v Knights, Saturday 7.35pm at Cbus Super Stadium

Storm: Origin duo Josh Addo-Carr and Christian Welch have been left out, with Dean Ieremia now on the wing and Tui Kamikamica at prop.

Jordan Grant joins the bench with Isaac Lumelume the 18th man. Trent Loiero dropped out of the playing squad on game day.

Along with Addo-Carr and Welch, Cooper Johns was left out 24 hours before the match.

The Storm are relocating to Queensland for the third time in a year as Melbourne's latest looming lockdown forces the premiers to join the rest of the NRL in the Sunshine State so a time and venue are still to be decided.

Coach Craig Bellamy has opted to hold back star fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen (concussion) and gun hooker Harry Grant (hamstring) for at least another week to ensure the Storm will have a fully fit squad for the run to the finals.

That means 2021 revelation Nicho Hynes gets another game in the No.1 jersey and Brandon Smith the chance to extend his try-scoring streak from dummy-half.

The Storm have won their past nine games against the Knights.

Knights: Mitchell Pearce (hamstring) is out of the Knights team, with Phoenix Crossland to start at halfback. NSW Origin star Daniel Saifiti (rib) is also out with David Klemmer starting at prop and Jack Johns joining the bench. 

Maroons star Kalyn Ponga and Queensland squad member Kurt Mann will both start. Tex Hoy is the 18th man.

Pearce, Simi Sasagi and Jirah Momoisea were the players left out 24 hours before the match.

Warriors v Panthers, Sunday 1.50pm at Suncorp Stadium

Warriors: The promotion of Tohu Harris, Chad Townsend (both shoulder) and Euan Aitken (isolation) from the extended bench 24 hours from kick-off triggered mass changes.

In contrast, the match-day moves were minimal with Kane Evans handed 18th man duties and Adam Pompey the last man cut from the final 17-man squad.

Aitken's return at centre pushed Marcelo Montoya to the wing and captain Roger Tuivasa-Sheck to five-eighth, where he will form an all-new playmaking pairing with Townsend.

Kodi Nikorima drops to the interchange and Sean O'Sullivan is out of the squad altogether.

The accelerated return of Harris relegates Eliesa Katoa to the bench with Bunty Afoa the other Saturday omission from the squad.

Aitken and Josh Curran will be good to go despite training in isolation after completing a 14-day quarantine period.

They were passengers on a Virgin Australia flight on June 26 from the Gold Coast to Sydney in which a cabin crew member tested positive to COVID-19. 

Curran and prop Kane Evans replace Ben Murdoch-Masila and Jack Murchie on the bench, with both dropping out of the squad.

The Warriors have not won in Queensland since 2019.

Panthers: A late swap sees back-up dummy-half Mitch Kenny get the start with Origin rep Api Koroisau dropping back to the bench.

Izack Tago has been assigned 18th man duties while Matt Eisenhuth is the match-day omission.

Fullback Dylan Edwards returns from a foot injury so Charlie Staines shifts to the wing and Brent Naden into the centres. Matt Burton will play five-eighth in Jarome Luai's absence and Tyrone May has been named at No.7.

Centre Paul Momiroviski (hip) and winger Robert Jennings (foot) are at least another week away from returning after being the first cuts from the 21-man squad on Saturday.

Brian To'o, Isaah Yeo, Kurt Capewell and Liam Martin are all backing up from Origin III.

The Panthers have won seven of their past nine games against the Warriors.

Broncos v Wests Tigers, Sunday 4.05pm at Suncorp Stadium

Broncos: Kevin Walters confirmed on Saturday that Xavier Coates won't back up from his Origin III performance with Jamayne Isaako coming on to the wing. Origin rep Payne Haas, who was magnificent against the Sharks in round 16, will play.

Ethan Bullemor has 18th man duties while Coates dropped out as expected on Sunday.

Jesse Arthars comes on to the interchange for Cory Paix, who is omitted a day out from kick-off alongside Xavier Willison who must wait for his NRL debut.

Kobe Hetherington has retained the No.13 jersey after getting a late chance to start in round 16.

Kotoni Staggs has scored seven tries in his past eight games at Suncorp Stadium.

Wests Tigers: James Roberts is in COVID isolation and out of the side after being present at an exposure site. He is replaced in the centres by Tommy Talau.

Michael Chee Kam was named 18th man when the final team was announced with Alex Seyfarth the match-day omission.

Back-rower Shawn Blore was cut 24 hours from kick-off.

Moses Mbye is the biggest name to pay the price for a horror three-week stretch which saw the joint-venture club outscored 144 to 50 by the Storm, Eels and Rabbitohs. Adam Doueihi switches back to five-eighth and Fetalaiga Pauga makes his debut in the centres with Mbye on the interchange.

Blues squad member Stefano Utoikamanu has been promoted to start along with Thomas Mikaele, relegating Alex Twal to the bench and Alex Seyfarth to reserves.

Coach Michael Maguire has named a second debutant, Tuki Simpkins, to start on the interchange.

David Nofoaluma requires one try to break his club’s all-time try-scoring record.

Rabbitohs v Bulldogs, Sunday 6.15pm at Cbus Super Stadium

Rabbitohs: Latrell Mitchell has failed to back up after State of Origin and will be replaced at fullback by Blake Taaffe in the final 17. Peter Mamouzelos is 18th man.

Mitchell's fellow Origin stars - Cameron Murray, Damien Cook and Dane Gagai - will take the field against the bottom side after strutting their stuff on Wednesday night at Cbus Super Stadium.

Veteran Benji Marshall - who is stranded in Sydney - has been replaced on the bench by outside back Braidon Burns.

Jaxson Paulo and Josh Mansour were omitted from the extended squad 24 hours before kick-off.

Winger Taane Milne (high tackle)  and prop Liam Knight (dangerous contact) both took early guilty pleas to charges arising from the clash against the Cowboys and will play.

Mark Nicholls is making his 100th NRL appearance.

Bulldogs: Jayden Okunbor and Ofahiki Ogden come into the match-day 17 with Okunbor replacing rookie winger Falakiko Manu, who is 18th man, and Ogden taking the bench spot of Joe Stimson, who drops out of the final squad.

Renouf Atoni was omitted on Saturday and his place in the starting side taken by Matt Doorey, who returns from a head knock. Doorey will start in the second row with Josh Jackson reverting to lock.

Kyle Flanagan was the other player to drop out of the extended squad 24 hours from kick-off.

Ava Seumanufagai, returning from a one-game suspension incurred against Manly in round 16, will start on the interchange.

Jeremy Marshall-King still has one more match to serve of the suspension he incurred against the Sea Eagles.

The Bulldogs have lost their past eight games in Queensland.