Dave Taylor is no guarantee of making an NRL return next Monday night despite being included in an extended squad by Titans coach Neil Henry on Tuesday.
As he awaits the results of scans on shoulder injuries to both Nate Myles and Ryan James, Henry named a squad of 19 to face the Eels at Cbus Super Stadium to close out Round 21 with Taylor's name the 18th on the team sheet.
Halfback Kane Elgey has also been named but will have to pass tests for concussion before he takes his place in the team, while Daniel Mortimer has been included on the bench at the expense of Chad Redman.
Hooker Kierran Moseley is also a chance of returning after playing 60 minutes for Burleigh in the Intrust Super Cup last weekend but was not named in Henry's squad.
Taylor scored two tries playing for Tweed Heads last Sunday – both of which came from kicks – but Henry said the fitness of Myles and James will have a bearing on whether Taylor earns a recall.
"He's there for a bit of coverage as well and we'll have to see what we do," Henry said on Tuesday. "I thought Matty White was quite strong actually up front [against the Broncos] and he's been playing some good footy at the Queensland Cup level so he probably deserves to hold his spot.
"Agnatius [Paasi] is there with a bit of versatility about playing on the edge and front row but Dave could do that as well.
"We'll have to make a call later in the week but if both Nate and Ryan James are fit to play, he might find it hard to get a spot."
Although scoring two tries in an upset win over the competition fancies is a good case for reinstatement, Henry said it is Taylor's work without the ball that has the greatest bearing on whether he will force his way back into the team.
"He would say it was OK, it wasn't outstanding," Henry said of his display for Tweed. "He had a couple of nervous touches early in greasy conditions and he certainly finished the game strongly.
"He had some nice carries and was a handful which is what you would expect as well. We'll have a look at that and see if he can force his way back into the 17.
"A lot of his performances and where he needs to improve is his effort upon effort stuff and mainly defensively with defensive reads. He's always been able to carry the ball, it's the other part of the game that he needs to get right and it's a hard position to play on the edge.
"He's disappointed that his tackle breaks are down, how he carries the ball, he's not getting the line breaks or the fast play-the-balls we probably expect from him.
"Dave is about that effort upon effort and being able to stay in the game."
