RUGBY LEAGUE
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Dragons coach Paul McGregor won't finalise his side for Saturday's clash with Parramatta until an hour before kick-off as several stars race the clock to be fit for the match at Pirtek Stadium.
McGregor on Tuesday named an unchanged line-up for the match following his side's Monday night loss to the Roosters, but the team that actually takes the field on Saturday could look vastly different come kick-off.
Veteran winger Jason Nightingale (ankle) and interchange weapon Jack de Belin didn't complete Friday's captain's run, while it was recently re-signed centre Peter Mata'utia's [ankle] first hit-out of the week.
However, star back-rower Joel Thompson is poised to be a late inclusion for the match after running freely during Friday's run with his troublesome knee heavily strapped.
On a short turnaround from the Dragons' fifth Monday night game of the year, McGregor said he'll use every hour to ensure his side is prepared for the Eels.
"On a five-day turnaround coming off a big game you've got to use every hour up until game time," McGregor said.
"A lot of these guys will have to wake up [on Saturday] and feel OK.
"When you're coming back from injury and it's a short turnaround and you haven't done much work through the week, you've got to wait until the morning of the game and see how they pull up. [Thompson] is a chance of playing. We'll just have to see how he feels [on Saturday]. Pete Mata'utia was out there but he hasn't trained all week, so we'll have to see how he pulls up as well. Rory O'Brien also trained [on Friday] along with George Rose, so we've got a couple of combinations there and I'll let that [decision] go about an hour before the game."
The hefty casualty ward has been compounded by the the one-match suspension handed to Mitch Rein this week for a grade-one dangerous lift arising from the loss the to Roosters. Rein's regular understudy, Heath L'Estrange, is expected to pick up the slack but it would be asking a lot for the 31-year-old to play 80 minutes given his limited playing minutes so far this year. It leaves versatile utility Jake Marketo and Craig Garvey vying for the back-up hooking role. Garvey hasn't played a first grade match since round 13 last season and was stood down by the club following an assault conviction in September last year. He's since been reinstated on a conditional contract and McGregor said he would have full confidence in the 21-year-old should he be given an NRL start against the Eels.
"Craig's been working really hard in reserve grade ... he won't let anyone down," McGregor said.