“He needs to be on the field,that’s kind of the be all and end all,because he’s a weapon and he’s been a weapon for us,he’s been leading our whole team.”

Maguire has made it clear that form will trump reputation and incumbency,putting Watson and Cronulla lock Cameron McInnes into contention for debuts.

The unheralded McInnes has been one of the reasons the Sharks are sitting on top of the NRL ladder,averaging 113 running metres and averaging 38 tackles per game at 97 per cent efficiency. Last year he set an NRL record after completing 81 tackles in a match against the Panthers.

Maguire has several selection headaches,not all of them due to injury. Panther Brian To’o has cemented a wing spot,with Zac Lomax and Joseph Suaalii the leading contenders for the other one.

Dylan Edwards is putting pressure on Blues captain James Tedesco to retain his fullback position,while Reece Robson and Apisai Koroisau remain in a shootout for the No.9 jersey.

Bradman Best improved his chances of snaring a centre berth alongside Stephen Crichton with aninspired performance for the Knights against the Tigers,although Matt Burton,Jessie Ramien,Izack Tago,Kotoni Staggs and Latrell Mitchell are other options.

With Billie Eder