Kevin Walters has dropped bench hooker Cory Paix and given Tyson Smoothy his club debut for Saturday night’s home clash with Newcastle.
It is a selection surprise by the coach given the Broncos are joint competition leaders and Paix has played in all 14 games of the season to date.
The 23-year-old’s minutes have diminished in the past five rounds where he has not played more than 27 minutes in any match. Billy Walters has been the starting No.9 for Brisbane.
Smoothy, formerly with Melbourne, has been plying his trade in the Queensland Cup with Wynnum-Manly where he has impressed with his defensive clout and service.
The 23-year-old has averaged 50 running metres and 39 tackles per game for the Seagulls and has been their best player this year.
Paix will go back to Souths-Logan where he will share game time with former Queensland U19s hooker Blake Mozer.
“Paixy just hasn’t been getting enough game time so we have put him back in the Queensland Cup to get some good minutes and work on his game,” Walters said.
“Tyson has been playing some good footy and gets his opportunity.
“It is not that I am not happy (with Paix). It is just he is not getting enough game time.
"He has a few things to work on but it is more about him playing some footy. He only played 15 or 20 minutes the last couple of weeks which is not enough to develop in the position, which is what we are about here.”
Walters said Paix was “more than happy” to spend time working on his game while praising Smoothy.
“He is a pro. He passes the ball well, tackles well and gets the ball to where it is meant to be,” Walters said.
“I am looking forward to giving him the opportunity to play NRL. He debuted for the Storm a couple of years back but he has been sitting there parked for a while so he gets his chance."
