Cronulla coach Ricky Stuart has finally lost patience with Tim Smith, dumping the out-of-sorts halfback to the NSW Cup for Saturday night's encounter with the Sea Eagles at Toyota Park.
Smith, who joined the Sharks earlier this year as the club's answer to their troubles in the No.7 jersey, has failed to produce the goods after a solid start to his time at the Shire.
The 25-year-old has struggled for consistency as the Sharks have continued to languish towards the bottom of the NRL ladder.
And with time running out for the Sharks to try and put together enough wins to challenge for the finals, Stuart has decided to dump Smith to NSW Cup alongside fellow high-profile recruit Adam Cuthbertson.
Smith's axing sees John Morris shift from hooker to half with Paul Aiton selected at No.9 and former Eel Taulima Tautai added to the bench.
In contrast Sea Eagles coach Des Hasler has kept faith with his side - which has lost four of their last five matches - only adding prop Matt Cross to his squad on a five-man bench.
The in-form Warriors have four key players back for Saturday's tussle with Melbourne at Mt Smart Stadium.
Backs Lance Hohaia, Kevin Locke, Brent Tate and Brett Seymour have all been cleared to return from injury with Ivan Cleary's troops on a four-game winning run.
They are timely returns for the New Zealanders who will be without Bill Tupou (hand) and Isaac John (knee) from the side that recorded a courageous 12-6 win over the Panthers on Sunday.
"It's obviously a boost being able to bring back experienced players like Lance, Brent and Brett but it was also a really difficult side to select for this match because the team has been going well lately," Cleary said.
The Storm has named international back-rower Ryan Hoffman on a five-man bench for the trip across the Tasman.
Hoffman hasn't played since injuring his knee against the Eels in round 13.
Dragons coach Wayne Bennett gets Origin contingent Darius Boyd, Neville Costigan, Brett Morris and Beau Scott back for Friday's clash with the Rabbitohs at ANZ Stadium.
Mark Gasnier hasn't been able to force his way into the starting line up yet, again named on an extended bench in his second game since his return to the club from French rugby.
Titans coach John Cartwright has stuck with the same side that went down by a point to the Tigers last week, only adding former Bronco Steve Michaels to the squad as 18th man for Friday night's local blockbuster with Brisbane.
The Broncos welcome back Origin trio Darren Lockyer, Sam Thaiday and Israel Folau from the side that lost to the Tigers in their last outing before the bye.
Coach Ivan Henjak has also recalled Alex Glenn in the centres following a month out with an ankle injury.
The Raiders have named prop Scott Logan and youngster Sam Mataora in their team for Sunday's clash with Newcastle at Canberra Stadium.
Coach David Furner has lost forwards Troy Thompson (shoulder) and Shaun Fensom (ankle) to injury for a clash his side needs to win to keep in touch with the top eight, while the Knights are unchanged from the side that beat Cronulla last Sunday.
Tigers coach Tim Sheens has named experienced prop John Skandalis in his squad to face the Cowboys at Leichhardt Oval on Monday night.
The 34-year-old has been selected