Teenage centre sensation Bradman Best will make his NRL debut for the Knights in Saturday's do-or-die showdown against Wests Tigers with Tautau Moga set to be ruled out with a hamstring strain.
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But Knights coach Nathan Brown is expected to resist the temptation to go in with two rookies against the Tigers after strongly considering the merits of former Lakes United hooker Chris Randall as a potential replacement for the injured Connor Watson.
Instead, experienced Danny Levi is tipped to fill the dummy half role at Campbelltown Stadium.
Best's selection comes after he only turned 18 and was deemed eligible to play NRL earlier this month.
The Woy Woy junior only returned from an ankle injury off the bench after being out for several weeks in the Knights' Jersey Flegg win over North Sydney last Saturday and made a huge impact, scoring three tries in an explosive performance that no doubt influenced the decision of Brown and his coaching staff.
A former Central Coast beach sprint champion, Best is the son of former Manly player Roger Best and has been in the Knights' system since he was 13. He is contracted to the Knights until the end of 2022.
He has played NSW Under 16s, Under 18's and Under 20's and his Australian Schoolboys coach last year Mark O'Meley rated him so highly, he claimed he would have already play NRL if his age permitted it.
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With his christian name Bradman, Best says he gets called 'Don' and 'Donny' regularly and while being named after Australia's greatest cricketer used to "get a bit annoying, I'm alright with it".
"I've never heard anyone else with the same first name so I guess that makes it pretty special," he told the Newcastle Herald earlier this year.
