Overview

• Ben Te Kura, the NRL’s tallest player at 205cm, is named on the bench to debut against Manly at Brookvale Oval in Round 13, replacing Fletcher Baker.
• Brisbane have dropped five of their past six matches, prompting coach Michael Maguire to freshen the forward pack with youth.
• In nine Hostplus Cup games for Souths Logan Magpies, Te Kura missed only three tackles and recorded 40 tackle busts to date.
• Te Kura overcame a four-month Lisfranc injury layoff and focused on body composition and fitness under Maguire’s guidance to force his selection.
• Teammate Cory Paix said his task is simply to deliver the ball to the rookie prop and let him leverage his size on debut.