Broncos young gun Tom Dearden will have another chance to prove his worth to coach Kevin Walters, with the teenager set to line up for Souths Logan on Saturday, per The Courier Mail.
Dearden currently looks to have lost out in the race for the No.7 jumper at Red Hill, with Brodie Croft understood to be the frontrunner as halfback to face Parramatta in Round 1.
Following on from an impressive trial outing, Croft was handed the halfback duties at training this week while Dearden was on the outer under Walters' watch.
However, with Dearden now set to feature in the reserves this weekend alongside Corey Oates and former Broncos star Karmichael Hunt, he will be given another chance to flex his flare before next week's season opener.
Speaking to The Mail, Walters insinuated that Dearden remains in the running as he is yet to finalise his halves partner for Anthony Milford.
“Tom knows what he needs to do,” Walters said.
“We’ve had a chat so I’ll keep it between him and I.
“I’m still undecided. They (Dearden and Croft) are neck-and-neck so I’m fortunate to have a good selection choice.
“Tom is playing for Souths and he can push his claims, while Brodie has the weekend off, so we will see what happens over the weekend.
“I’ve got quite a few guys playing trials over the weekend so I just want to see how they go.”
Dearden remains a key asset for the Broncos' future and will need to be shown some promise of support as the highly-praised youngster remains off-contract.
The 19-year-old is one of several halfbacks without a deal for 2022 and would be a formidable suitor for several rival sides.
