Sydney Roosters coach Trent Robinson says it won't be long before Angus Crichton is back in the NRL after being diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
The Australian Test forward hasn't played a game since last year's World Cup final after seeking professional help for his mental health in January.
Robinson confirmed Crichton will play for their NSW Cup side against the Newtown Jets on Saturday at Henson Park.
Nathan Brown is also expected to feature in the reserve-grade fixture as he bids to get fit after picking up a hamstring injury following his move from Parramatta.
"Physically he (Crichton) is in really good shape so I don't think it'll be too long, (before he's back in the NRL)," Robinson said on the eve of their clash with Cronulla on Friday.
"A good indication will be the weekend's game, but I feel like it won't be too long.
"The plan is for him to get started and go back and play back-row (and get) somewhere between 50-80 minutes depending on how it goes during the game.
"He's been in really good shape and he's been really good at training so it's time to start playing.
"He missed a lot of that pre-season period, and you can't replicate that during the season, so we need to ramp it up during reserve grade."
Crichton's expected return will be a boost for Robinson, who also has prop Matt Lodge (facial fracture) and James Tedesco (concussion stand down) back for the trip to face the Sharks.
"He (Tedesco) has been really good after what happened and obviously the rules are pretty clear," Robinson said.
"It (the stand down) gives them a lot of time to recover, even if they're good in the days afterwards.
"He's ready to get back there and put the armband back on."
The Roosters are undefeated in seven consecutive games against Cronulla and face a Sharks side without Dale Finucane (suspension) and Toby Rudolf (toe).
The silver lining for Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon is the return of Wade Graham after serving a four-game ban for a high shot.
"You can see we've played some good footy," said Fitzgibbon, whose side has started the year with a 2-3 record.
"One thing we haven't been disappointed in is our effort, which is important for this stage of the year.
"But we need to address how we are letting teams back into the contest by not controlling our own energy because that has been costly for us."
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