Matt Lodge will inch closer to an NRL return this weekend when he runs out for Manly in the NSW Cup.
The prop has been named to start in the No.8 jersey for the Sea Eagles in reserve grade for the first time this season.
Guy Williams’ side venture to Wollongong to take on St George Illawarra in Round 8 and will be desperate to pick up a win after losing four of their first seven matches.
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Matt Lodge back on Manly's radar as prop returns in the NSW Cup
Lodge departed from the club at the end of last year after believing he had a better offer on the table elsewhere.
Yet this move failed to materialise before he rejected a train-and-trial deal from the Dragons and eventually remained on the Northern Beaches.
"It wasn’t a case of me wanting to leave this club but the offer elsewhere at the time, which I thought I was leaving for, was too good to refuse," Lodge said in February.
"I don’t need to go into all the details, but it is what it is and everything always works out in the end."
As part of his new deal, he will work part-time on a building site while trying to work his way back into Anthony Seibold’s calculations via reserve grade.
Regardless of his performances though, Lodge won’t be eligible to feature in the NRL until Round 10.
But he will more than likely be watched closely after Manly have had their forward stocks decimated at the start of the campaign with Taniela Paseka suffering a long-term injury in Round 3.
Josh Aloiai has since been troubled with a shoulder issue, while Tof Sipley has copped a four-game ban for a hip-drop tackle in Round 7.
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Matt Lodge NRL career history
The 29-year-old made just 12 appearances for the Sea Eagles across an 18-month initial stay after joining from the Sydney Roosters.
He suffered an ACL rupture and torn biceps during his time at the club but backed himself to turn things around in 2025.
"I know I’ll get back to where I want to be and I’m backing my ability," Lodge said earlier this year.
The controversial figure has spent time at a number of clubs ever since breaking into first grade a decade ago.
He made his NRL debut for the Wests Tigers and registered 12 appearances for the club before his career was abruptly halted as he faced serious criminal charges in New York.
The forward was handed a lifeline by Brisbane in 2018 and he made the most of it as he clocked 65 appearances for the Broncos during a three-year stay.
However, Lodge has since bounced between a host of clubs with short stints with the New Zealand Warriors and Roosters, followed by a move to Manly midway through the 2023 campaign.