Reynolds to retake the reins in must-win clash against Knights

Broncos coach Kevin Walters will be hoping Adam Reynolds will be able to carry the weight of expectation on his shoulders - and his biceps - when he takes the field against Newcastle.

Out of action since Round 9 with a biceps injury, the Broncos skipper was not originally expected back until Round 22,  but ticked the final box for an early return after completing captain’s run.

“Adam will play, he's trained well for the last couple of weeks Reyno, it's good to have him back," Walters said.

“You can see the difference and the confidence that he brings to the group, it's really good, so we welcome him back.

“Medically, he's been cleared, all of that, so we wouldn't certainly go against any medical advice.

“We've got great trust in our people here and they say he's right to go."

The halfback has been sorely missed with Brisbane only able to record two wins from their past eight games without him steering the ship, but Walters didn't want to put too much pressure on his skipper to course-correct for the club in his first game back. 

“It would be wrong to dump it all on Adam, but he's just that type of player that does bring a lot of experience and confidence to the team, it's certainly a big in for us," Walters said. 

"He's been up in the coach’s box for the last, nine weeks and just watching it … I can see things and just hearing him talk about the game and the position of the game at different times, I know if he was on the field, he could be helping him which he'll do tomorrow night."

After choosing to rest his stars earlier in the season, Walters has also named the majority of his Origin players to back up against the Knights at a sold out McDonald Jones Stadium, with Pat Carrigan, Reece Walsh and Payne Haas all named to play.

Selwyn Cobbo will not feature due to some groin soreness, with Walters saying while his remaining Origin players have been named in the 13, he would give them until game-day morning to see if they would start the match or come from the bench.

Both Walsh and Carrigan seemed unlikely to back up following a brutal Origin decider, with Walsh icing numerous ailments after the game and Carrigan leaving Suncorp Stadium in a moon boot. 

"Reece is fine, he's got the shirt off of training today, so that's always a good indicator that he's ready to go," Walters joked. 

“Obviously, his ankle's quite swollen, but Patty being Patty, he wants to play, there's no way that we're going to stop him from playing.

“We'll wake up tomorrow and make a decision on; but if Patty wants to start, we'll obviously start Patty.

“We don't want to squeeze the lemon too tight, but Patty's immensely proud of this club and playing for this club means everything to him.

“Tomorrow night, he's a little bit wounded, but he will go out a for us and we'll get as much as we can out of him.

“Obviously, he won't be playing 80 minutes, but we'll get enough out of Patty to help us get back on track."