Wests Tigers have trimmed their squad to 19 players ahead of Saturday’s Round 15 match against the Titans at Leichhardt Oval.
Alex Twal and Alex Lobb have both been omitted from the squad after suffering head knocks at training on Wednesday.
Their absence opens the door for another two players to make their NRL debut, taking Wests Tigers tally to nine debutants so far this season.
Macarthur juniors Heath Mason (WT Player #288) and Jordan Miller (WT Player #289) will come onto the bench to face the Titans.
Both players were part of Wests Magpies premiership-winning Harold Matthews Cup team in 2022, joining three others from that side who have already made their first-grade debut with Wests Tigers (Tallyn Da Silva WT#270, Kit Laulilii WT#275 and Lachie Galvin WT#277).
Solomona Faataape has been elevated from the bench to the centres pushing Brent Naden to the wing in place of Lobb, with Mason to be used in a utility role off the bench.
Fonua Pole moves into the front row replacing Twal with Alex Seyfarth shifting to the second row and Miller added to the bench.
Mason and Miller are among eight players in the lineup who are 22 years of age or younger.
Jordan Miller
Jordan moved into the NRL top-30 squad in 2024, joining several teammates from Wests Magpies 2022 premiership-winning Harold Matthews team. A 19-year-old prop, Miller was selected for the Australian Schoolboys in 2022 and helped Fairfield Patrician Brothers claim the prestigious Peter Mulholland Schoolboys Cup. A Liverpool Catholic Club and Minto Cobras junior, Miller has played SG Ball, Jersey Flegg and NSW Cup this season.
Heath Mason
A 19-year-old utility who is one of five players from the 2022 Magpies Harold Matthews premiership-winning team to have now made his NRL debut with Wests Tigers. Mason is a Thirlmere Roosters junior, who was born in Bowral. A former St Gregory’s College Campbelltown student, Mason was selected in the Australian Schoolboys team in 2023 after leading NSW Combined Catholic Colleges to victory over NSW Combined High Schools. He makes his NRL debut after returning from a lengthy injury layoff (fractured wrist) having played a handful of games in SG Ball Cup and NSW Cup this season.