Valentine Holmes will make his return to rugby league in North Queensland's NRL trial against Brisbane, while the Wests Tigers will debut new fullback Adam Douehi.
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Holmes has been named to play in the Cowboys' No.1 jersey against the Broncos on Saturday at Barlow Park in Cairns.
The 24-year-old former Australian and Queensland star has not played a professional rugby league game since the 2018 finals with Cronulla.
He returned to the code after an unsuccessful attempt to break into the NFL with the New York Jets.
Holmes was named in a 25-man squad by coach Paul Green, along with star forward Jason Taumalolo and NRL Nines player of the tournament Scott Drinkwater.
Douehi will debut on Saturday for the Tigers against Penrith at Pepper Stadium alongside fellow recruits Luciano Leilua and Zane Musgrove.
The Tigers will also field Josh Reynolds for the first time this season after the playmaker had been cleared to play by the NRL while facing charges relating to an alleged domestic assault.
Former Cronulla hooker Jayden Brailey will play his first game in a Newcastle jersey on Saturday when the Knights host St George Illawarra in their trial in Maitland.
Announced by new coach Adam O'Brien, the squad includes skipper Mitchell Pearce and representative prop David Klemmer.
With the Knights battling with inconsistency in their spine last season, Kurt Mann and Mason Lino will push their cases for five-eighth.
Fullback Tex Hoy, 20, starred at the NRL Nines and will get a chance to impress against the Dragons, while emerging star Bradman Best has been ruled out with a fractured foot.
He will undergo surgery this week and is likely to miss the first few rounds of the season.
Elsewhere, Regan Campbell-Gillard will play his first game for Parramatta on Saturday against South Sydney at Wentworthville.
The former Penrith prop was named among 25 players for the trial, including Daniel Alvaro, Michael Jennings, Shaun Lane and Nathan Brown.
The Warriors will debut recruit Wade Egan in their weekend trial against Melbourne in Palmerston North.
He's one of 10 players with NRL experience to be named in the 28-man squad, the most experienced of whom is star winger David Fusitu'a.
Australian Associated Press
