Suli recalled in otherwise unchanged Dragons lineup for Souths clash

Suli was subject to the mandatory 11-day stand-down under concussion protocols after his Anzac Day clash lasted less than a minute before he was felled by a head clash with Roosters enforcer Jared Warea-Hargreaves in the opening tackle.

Flanagan said prior to Sunday's loss to the Sharks that Suli would be an automatic inclusion when fit following his stand-down, and with Mikaele Ravalawa having grabbed a double against the Sharks, Tuipulotu has been forced to make way.

Suli's return will see Jack Bird shift back to the right where he's likely to reprise his combination with Zac Lomax, who's been named back on the wing after playing at right centre against the Sharks.

It's a side otherwise unchanged, with Luciano Leilua named on the extended bench as he continues to nurse a calf injury. It remains to be seen if he's a late inclusion on game day.

Souths will be bolstered by the return of star fullback Latrell Mitchell from suspension, with interim coach Ben Hornby naming him in the No. 1 jumper despite many commentators calling for him to be shifted to the centres or possibly five-eighth to re-ignite the Rabbitohs season.

The Dragons will be looking to halt a two-game losing run that followed their most impressive performance of the season, a 30-12 win over the Warriors in round seven.

Suli was the third Dragon subject to the mandatory 11-day stand-down this season, with Jacob Liddle and Bird having sat out matches following head knocks.

Bird suffered a category one against the Tigers a month ago, leaving back-rower Tom Eisenhuth needing to defend in the centres for three quarters of the match.

Suli's head knock meant the Dragons have twice been scrambling to find a stop-gap in the key defensive position. It's prompted questions as to whether coaches could activate an extra position-specific interchange.

Flanagan said all coaches need to consider their bench options as HIA protocols become more strict.

"When I was at the Sharks used to carry an outside back on my bench all the time because I had middles that could play big minutes," Flanagan said.

"(Andrew) Fifita, (Paul) Gallen, they could play 80 minutes if they had to. It's definitely an issue when you haven't got middles that can play big minutes.

"The challenge is not to leave players out there, as well, that are under fatigue that get injured whilst under fatigue. Sometimes there's a duty of care in that perspective as well.

"When players are under fatigue, especially middles, it starts to get a bit messy and you've get them off because there is a chance of injury.

"It is a challenge to carry out an outside back on your bench, it'd be a luxury if you could, it means you've got some really good middles that can play big minutes.

"Down the track I'm not quite sure where we'll end up. The game's always changing and we're always looking at how we can do things better, so it's something that I'm sure that they'll look at."