Milford injury could send Boyd back to fullback

Anthony Milford is in doubt for Friday's clash with Cronulla with a leg injury, which could mean Darius Boyd returns to fullback for the first time since round 14 last year.

Boyd trained at fullback on Monday in a sign that he would return to the position where he has played the majority of his 15-season career if Milford is unfit for the Suncorp Stadium stoush with the Sharks.

Milford, who played fullback in the 46-8 loss to the Storm last Friday, trained with Brisbane's rehab group on Monday with his thigh strapped.

Titans-bound forward David Fifita trained with the main group for the first time since knee surgery and got through the full session in a sign he is close to returning to action. 

Broncos coach Anthony Seibold will await a report from his medical staff on Tuesday regarding how Fifita and Milford pull up from Monday’s session before determining whether they will play against Cronulla.

Five-eighth Brodie Croft, who trained on Monday, is also battling a lingering AC joint injury which has meant he has played with discomfort in recent weeks.

Boyd, who played five-eighth towards the end of last season, has been used in the centres this year by Seibold but with limited success.

Halfback Tom Dearden said Milford was "looking after a  hammie" and expected him to be fit for the clash with the Sharks but added that Boyd would do the job at the back.

"Darbs is very good at organising the defensive line and brings a lot of experience back there," Dearden said.

Herbie Farnworth, who has been used at centre and wing, was also given a run at fullback, the position he has always wanted to play at the highest level.

Young fullback Tesi Niu suffered a wrist injury in round 10 against the Wests Tigers and an MRI has revealed he suffered a tear in his wrist cartilage, putting him out for the rest of the season.

Broncos head of performance Paul Devlin said after consultation with the club's medical specialist, "it was decided that the best course of action for Tesi was to have surgery immediately rather than wait until the end of the season".

Fifita has not played since the round-two win over the Rabbitohs.

Tevita Pangai jnr said Fifita's inclusion would be "a big boost just with his talk and his dynamic runs".

"He is a powerful and explosive person and probably one of the best ball-runners in the game as a forward and we will need his strong carries if he plays," he said

"David is a pro. He’s been rehabbing his body and looking after his knee to the best of his ability. He trained really well today and I was happy to have him back."

Pangai said the Broncos were disappointed to lose Fifita to a three-year deal with the Gold Coast but added he had made a decision based on what was right for himself, his family and his future. He also backed Fifita to handle the pressure of a big-money contract.

"We are happy for him but $1.2 million is a lot of money to come into your bank account," Pangai said.

"You look at million-dollar players and with David he trains hard and looks after his body, and come the big games he always plays well.

"Consistently he is a good performer and there is little difference between his best and his worst game.

"I feel like he has got his money and they are building a good team down there as well. We are disappointed but he is a Bronco until October and hopefully he can finish the year off really well."

Darbs is very good at organising the defensive line and brings a lot of experience

Tom Dearden on the prospect of Darius Boyd playing fullback

Meanwhile, Dearden said he was relishing be back in the starting side at halfback and learning from assistant coach Allan Langer about his craft.

His performance in the first half of the 46-8 loss to the Storm was promising where he had some nice touches with Pangai on the left edge.

"I think I have got a lot to work on with controlling the game and getting my team around the park but I definitely got a lot of confidence out of the [Storm] game, especially the first half," he said.

"Alfie is telling me to focus on the simple things in the game which in my position is making sure I get clear and early talk to my team to get them around the park."