Discarded St George Illawarra half Jai Field has been called into Parramatta's NRL side to replace star halfback Mitchell Moses on Friday night.
The 22-year-old joined the Eels on a train and trial contract at the beginning of the year after playing just 11 games across three seasons for the Dragons since 2017.
Field was upgraded to a development contract with the Eels in May and has been named at No.7 for Friday's clash with North Queensland.
Star halfback Mitchell Moses is expected to be sidelined for at least a fortnight, allowing Field to return to the NRL almost a year to the day since his final first grade game.
It's a move that excites halves partner Dylan Brown, who said Field is difficult to handle at training.
"I would be pretty excited to see Jai on the field," Brown said on Tuesday.
"He slots in quite a lot at training, I actually hate training against him.
"He's the hardest person to defend and he always tears us up at training.
"He's got experience, too, at first grade."
Brad Takairangi, who slotted into the halves once Moses was injured last week, has been retained on the bench.
Coach Brad Arthur expects Brown to step up in Moses' absence, saying he revelled when asked to deputise as chief playmaker after Moses had been injured during the competition's two-month shutdown because of coronavirus.
With mentor Andrew Johns barking encouragement from outside the fence at NRL training during the lockdown, five-eighth Brown began to develop his voice and build confidence over those few weeks without Moses to rely on.
"That was actually a bit of a challenge," Brown said on Tuesday.
"I know it was only at training but we train how we play.
"I sort of felt a responsibility there, the boys were responding to me which was good.
"I gained some trust throughout this year.
"That was actually quite helpful."
Brown, who turned 20 last week, said being exposed to the pressure of leading the Eels around the training paddock had done wonders for his self-belief.
However, without Moses on the field he believes the Eels will be lacking in one area.
"Kicking. In my personal opinion he's the best kicker in the NRL," Brown said.
"He does help us get out if we're stuck in our half he can get us out."
Australian Associated Press
